Fate of Lehistan - Cold War Crisis
by atikabubu
Summary: The Neuroi have resurfaced after 35 years of peace amidst the dead silence of the Cold War. Slightly over a year later, a new unit is formed with a simple task in mind, but none of the witches attached to them know what's coming towards them. Sequel to the Chosen One series, HOWEVER, it reads well as a standalone story, please read the introduction for more info.
1. Chapter 1 - History

**Disclaimer**

 **I do not hold the intellectual property rights to the Strike Witches franchise, or any other book, comic, song, movie, or other work of art I reference. Original Content created by me is copyrighted by me alone. All brand names are property of the respective parties owning rights to them. This disclaimer is valid hereinafter and won't be repeated in the following chapters.**

 **Partial copyright by Doran Maya**

* * *

 **Welcome (hopefully again)**

 **Yes, it's me again. This time I present to you a story not from the Second Neuroi War - which in my opinion is a dead horse, as well as time traveling – but from a more recent period. A word of warning – this IS a sequel to the Chosen One series, however I will try to explain all the things you should have gathered from reading it in author notes, so a newcomer can (and should) read it. Frankly, the most prominent referencing to the Chosen One series starts from the dead middle of this story, so I hope you all who haven't read-slash-shunned-slash-dropped my previous stories will have a nice read, at least until the half.**

 **Oh, and you really should read the prologue story, since it explains a few things about two characters, the geopolitical situation, and how the war began.**

 **Without further ado – let's go!**

* * *

Chapter 1 - History

"Lehistan is no more…"

Those were the words of General Jaruzelski, which he spoke at a special meeting of the United Nations on New Year's Eve 1981.

After their sudden reappearance near the border of the Mizhkraine, Chernarus, and Lehistan, the Neuroi began their unholy crusade against humanity yet again. This time however, humanity was better prepared. Immediately, border troops were mobilized to defend the Bundesrepublik of Karlsland, the USSR, and Ostmark, and ships took out to the Baltic to defend the sea borders.

The initial impetus of the attack threw back the Soviet defenses about thirty kilometers before Moscow to the northeast, ten kilometers before Leningrad to the northwest and twenty kilometers before Volgograd to the east. By order of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, that was the absolute territory, which no Neuroi could pass. Mobilizing every soldier, witch, tank and plane, that objective was held, but at great losses.

Meanwhile, the Karlslander Bundeswehr, which had the doubtful handicap of distance and time, prepared their defenses across the Karlsland-Lehistan border. Using the best technology the West could offer, along with slews of highly trained witches, they withstood the enemy onslaught with heroic efforts and minimal losses.

However, fate had made a cruel joke out of Ostmark, and while Karlsland and the USSR were in a deadlock with the enemy at their own territory, Ostmark was yet again decimated due to having a lesser army than Karlsland, and a worse defense plan. The Neuroi started expanding using the corridor, and soon, the whole central-southern Europe was subdued.

The United Nations issued a call to arms, most intensively replied by Karlsland and the USSR. Every able girl that was capable of using magic was drafted into the armies of their countries. Then, by tactical genius of a few select witches, an enormous military operation threw back the Neuroi several dozens of kilometers back, giving more breathing space to the USSR.

 **Red Square, Moscow, Orussian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic**

 **Revolution Day 1982**

Neuroi or no Neuroi, there is one festivity that had to be upheld - the remembrance of the Great Soviet Revolution. The whole ceremony went on as usual. Representative battalions of many units and military schools marched on the Red Square, and positioned themselves in an orderly manner.

The walls of the building before Lenin's mausoleum were decorated with his portrait, and surrounded by enormous patriotic murals, with the big red numbers **1946** and **1982** being the most prominent. The rest of the building were decorated in a similar fashion, so that the TV cameras could broadcast the glory of the Revolution and Communism to the world.

The Secretary of Defense, at the time Dmitriy Feodorovich Ustinov, did an inspection of the troops while riding standing in a convertible Volga limousine. Once he did that, he climbed the stairs the stairs of Lenin's mausoleum, which had a tribune handy, where Brezhnev and _comrades_ from the Party and the Red Army stood. Once Ustinov _delivered_ the parade, Brezhnev, due to defense concerns, delivered probably the shortest speech in the history of the USSR.

"Comrades! I welcome you all to the celebrations of the Revolution Day! As you all see, the days of peace, lasting for over thirty years, have ended. Our glorious Soviet Union, and the whole world are now on the edge of destruction. But fear not, dear comrades! The Soviet Army is strong! We will crush the foe and show him no mercy, as our fathers and grandfathers did! Let us show the world, the power of the Soviet Union! For the glory of socialism, and to a free world! Ura!"

Thousands of throats shouted an "Ura!" thrice, each for a duration of five seconds. Then, the orchestra started playing, and the Alexandrov Army Choir started singing the national anthem.

Soyuz nerushimyy respublik svobodnykh (An unbreakable union of free republics,)

Splotila naveki velikaya Orus'! (The Great Orus' has welded forever to stand!)

Da zdravstvuyet sozdannyy voley narodov (Long live the creation of the will of the people,)

Yedinyy, moguchiy Sovetskiy Soyuz! (The united, mighty Soviet Union!)

Slav'sya, Otechestvo nashe svobodnoye, (Be glorious, our free motherland,)

Druzhby narodov nadyozhnyy oplot! (A reliable stronghold of peoples' friendship!)

Partiya Lenina - sila narodnaya (The Party of Lenin, the strength of the people,)

Nas k torzhestvu Kommunizma vedyot! (Leads us to the triumph of Communism!)

Skvoz' grozy siyalo nam solntse svobody, (Through tempests the sun of freedom shone to us,)

I Lenin velikiy nam put' ozaril, (And the great Lenin illuminated our path,)

Na pravoye delo on podnyal narody, (To a just cause he raised up the peoples,)

Na trud i na podvigi nas vdokhnovil! (To labor and exploits he inspired us!)

Slav'sya, Otechestvo nashe svobodnoye, (Be glorious, our free motherland,)

Druzhby narodov nadyozhnyy oplot! (A reliable stronghold of peoples' friendship!)

Partiya Lenina - sila narodnaya (The Party of Lenin, the strength of the people,)

Nas k torzhestvu Kommunizma vedyot! (Leads us to the triumph of Communism!)

V pobede bessmertnykh idey Kommunizma (In the victory of the immortal ideas of Communism)

My vidim gryadushcheye nashey strany, (We see the future of our country,)

I Krasnomu znameni slavnoy Otchizny (And to the Red Banner of our glorious Motherland)

My budem vsegda bezzavetno verny! (We shall always be selflessly true!)

Slav'sya, Otechestvo nashe svobodnoye, (Be glorious, our free motherland,)

Druzhby narodov nadyozhnyy oplot! (A reliable stronghold of peoples' friendship!)

Partiya Lenina - sila narodnaya (The Party of Lenin, the strength of the people,)

Nas k torzhestvu Kommunizma vedyot! (Leads us to the triumph of Communism!)

Afterwards, the orchestra started playing various songs, including such songs as Katyusha and Kalinka, and the soldiers marched off the Red Square at a speed of a hundred twenty steps per minute, making way for a parade of armored cars, tanks, motorized artillery, rocket launchers, and finally, in the air, helicopters, jets and a squadron of witches, with red smoke coming out of the exhausts of their MiG 31's and other Striker models, amongst which where two miraculous survivors of an encounter at day zero.

Brezhnev died on November 15, 1982. His successor was Yuri Andropov.

 **Lebyazhye Air Base, Orussian SFSR**

 **Commander's office**

 **January 15, 1983, 1240 MST**

"Hey, hey, Katie, let me help you!" the silver haired Leh shouted from behind her desk.

"No need, Ellie, the boxes aren't as heavy as they look," her chestnut haired compatriot replied and slammed the sealed cartons the formers desk.

"What is all of this?" she asked.

"It just came in by courier."

"A courier?! And you didn't tell me anything?! I wanted to talk to somebody else than you…" Ellie pouted.

"I'm not enough?" a man's voice came from the corner of the room.

"Oh, sorry, you're so absent, Kola."

"Pfff… You should talk to your only mechanic, and only living being besides Major Kowalski, a bit more often…"

"You are really cheeky, Yefreyto (PFC) Savchenko… We've only known each other for what, two days?" Ellie threw a snide remark. "And besides, you know that the army has strict rules on witch-male contacts…"

"As if I could do anything with you, hah! If I laid a finger on you, you would break it with my arm to boot!" Kola laughed.

"Heheh, true… But we are supposed to get reinforcements, so you should restrain yourself with your sexist jokes, understood?"

"Yes, yes… Podpolkovnik (Lieutenant Colonel) Horbaczewski… But we really could get along better. I mean we're all Slavs, more or less, and we're from… ehem… _befriended_ countries…"

"What do you say, Ellie?" Katie asked. "Should we have a nice triangle going on here?" she smirked wildly.

"Hah, well, Kola is the only guy here, so we might as well treat him specially. Don't bother with our ranks or family names, Kola. Is that okay?"

"Da, ponial (Yes, I understood)," he said and smiled.

"Um, Ellie, returning to what I brought… You should read the letter on the top of the stack…"

"Ah, okay!"

Ellie took the fat package, and ripped it open. Dossiers fell out of it, with a single sheet with orders on top. She took it, and started reading.

After reading it, she had a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"What is it, Ellie?" Katie asked

"It seems that we will get our reinforcements sooner that I thought…"

"And when is that?"

"It's tonight and tomorrow morning!"

"A night transport?" Katie tilted her head.

"I'll explain later, time to read the dossiers… Take a chair if you want and read with me."

"Kay!" Katie cheered, fetched herself a chair, and sat by Ellie's side.

"Let's start…"

* * *

"Aspirant Marie Bonaparte-Champignon of the Gallian Armée de l'Air, born July 14, 1966 in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Height: 165 centimeters, short red hair… Special magic: Tonerre (lightning strike)."

"She looks… rustic…" Katie commented. "And dawwww… she's ginger…"

"Right? Okay, next patient… Marshal First Class Giulietta Francesca Pesci from the Romagna Aeronautica Militare, born August 1, 1965 in Florentine. Height: 172 centimeters, dark long hair. Special magic: Sunlight Strike (enhanced ramming capabilities)."

"She has a mischievous look…"

"I don't like her... I have a weird feeling… Well, whatever, next… Senior Master Sergeant Elwyn Francine Clarke of the Air Force of Liberion, born February 14, 1965 in Wrightsville, Arkansas. Height: 170 centimeters, auburn short hair, glasses. Special magic: Speed Boost (enhanced acceleration and top speed)."

"A Liberian? Cool!"

"Still fond of your stay in the US of L, huh, Katie?"

"Heheh… Although I was five when I went to Lehistan, those five years were better than the next fourteen…"

"Dunno, I'm a Leh since day one… Anyway… Senior Warrant Officer Tatiana Aleksandrovna Bulhakova…"

"My compatriot?" Kola interrupted.

"Are you eavesdropping, Kola?"

"You are reading so loud the dead would hear it."

"Ah, didn't notice, heh… Well, yes. She was born May 1, 1968 in Leningrad. Height: 160 centimeters, pale gray short hair. Special magic: Magic Antenna (radio wave sending/receiving/manipulation)."

"So she's probably a night witch…" Katie pondered.

"Having a Magic Antenna basically predestinates a witch for that function… And she's so cuuuute!"

"Heehee, yeah, a real cutie…"

"Putting that aside, let's continue… Chief technician Elizabeth Moore of the Royal Air Force, born April 2, 1967 in Warwick. Height: 165 centimeters, chestnut twin pigtail. Special magic: Ballistic Stabilization (immense accuracy over long distance)."

"She looks average…" Katie said rather intrigued.

 _Wait, Elizabeth Moore? No… This could just be a coincidence…_ \- Katie thought

"Not everyone has to look like Miss Universe… Next one is… Master Sergeant Aina Inga Brunhilda Freya Eila Ruukilainen-Haraldsdotir of the Suomus Defense Forces"

"Jesus Christ Pantocrator…" Katie sighed.

"Whoever accepted that name in the public office was probably drunk… Born May 15, 1966 in Helsinki. Height: 166 centimeters, long blonde hair. Special magic: Foresight (limited precognition abilities)."

"She looks like the ice queen herself…"

"Heh… Senior Master Sergeant Nami Ranmaru of the Fuso Air Self-Defense Force, born October 13, 1965 in Hiroshima. Height… holy crap, 180 centimeters!"

"Dayum!"

"My thoughts exactly… Special magic: Type B Super Strength (weight nullification)."

"This could be interesting…"

"Warrant Officer Shinobu Sakamoto of the Fuso Air Self-Defense Force… Wait a second, Sakamoto? That rings a bell… Well anyway, she was born December 24, 1965 in Nagoya. Height: 171 centimeters, long black hair. Special magic: Magic Eye (Neuroi core detection ability)."

"A core seer? Good, we need one. Is that a sword hilt on the photo?"

"Looks like it… Okay now… Senior Ensign Sieglinde Bäcker of the Karlslander Luftwaffe. Born September 7, 1965 in Munich. Height: 176 centimeters, long single braid blonde hair. Special magic: Sturm (piercing high-speed drill attack)."

"She looks like a Valkyrie… Sourpuss…"

"Typical Karlslander… Who do we have now… Ensign Elsa Feuerstein of the Karlslander Luftwaffe, born September 14, 1965 in Stuttgart. Height: 169 centimeters, short bob cut brown hair. Special magic: Type A Super Strength (physical strength augmentation)."

"She looks like a ditz…"

"Quick to judge people, huh?"

"Heheh…"

"Only two dossiers left… Senior Ensign Angela Bauer of the Karlslander Luftwaffe, born September 21, 1965 in Berlin. Height: 170 centimeters, long red hair. Special magic: Area Analysis (enhanced three dimensional perception)."

"She looks like a choleric…"

"Last one! Ohhhhhhh shit… Oooooh shit…"

"What is it, Ellie?"

"Senior Ensign Aya von Edelweiss…"

"You mean… The granddaughter of the last Kaiser?"

"Uhum… I've heard rumors that she's in the Luftwaffe… I wonder what's in the dossier… Born September 1st, 1965 in Dortmund. Height: 173 centimeters, dark long hair. Huh… what's this?"

Ellie turned the page, and saw that the next one was heavily redacted.

"I wonder what's the deal with her… Actually… Wait a second…" Ellie started rummaging through the files. "All of them have some redacted parts!"

"Each military has its secrets…" Katie sighed. "Maybe we can get something out of them personally?"

"Probably… By the way, guess what's in the box."

"Dunno, tell me!"

"Well, it's…"

 **Airspace over the Orussian SFSR**

 **21,230 meters ASL**

 **2310 MST**

A dark shape was silently crossing the black sky over the Soviet Union. If one would suddenly shed light on it, one would see a prototype, high altitude, stealth insertion craft, the KVKU EF-152 _Himmelssucher_. Even the most modern of radars would pick it up as a bird the size of a swan. According to latest tests, Neuroi would only pick it up from a distance of five hundred meters, and nobody ever saw a Neuroi at the altitude they were flying at.

"One minute till drop off," the second pilots' voice sounded through the intercom.

A dim light was shining over five figures in sleek, black pressurized suits with closed helmets covering their faces. They all had aerodynamic two-piece backpacks, matching the color of their suits.

"Are you nervous… Marie, was it?" one of the figures asked the other.

"Yes… It's my first HALO jump… And this altitude… And it's dark…"

"Not like we have much more experience… Our four only did one."

"Not really reassuring…"

"We'll manage. We have night vision goggles built in the helmets, all of us have IR strobes on our backs, so we will see each other. And the transponders will provide communication."

"That was a bit more reassuring…"

Suddenly, the light shut off, and they could only see the red light near the now slowly opening ramp.

"Prepare yourselves, ladies," the pilot said "Roll call – Rabe (Raven)?"

"Ready."

"Panzerfaust?"

"Ready."

"Walküre (Valkyrie)?"

"Ready."

"Teufel (Devil)?"

"Ready."

"And…" the pilot stopped for a bit.

"Marie, I don't' have a call sign… Ready."

"Five seconds!"

The ramp was open all the way down, and the cold wind was blowing inside of the back of the plane. The red lamp then changed to green, and the pilot shouted, "GO GO GO" through the intercom. The five girls dove into the infinite darkness of a moonless, January night.

* * *

 **And there it is, the first chapter. As per usual practice, I'll be releasing new ones every three days.**

 **Now the AN:**

 **Lehistan – the Osman Turkish name for Poland**

 **Jaruzelski – Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski, the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party, and later the President of Poland. He instated the state of military law in Poland on the day of the 13th of December, 1981.**

 **Mizhkraine – Ukraine**

 **Chernarus - Belarus (I know, right? But this was an obvious choice for a name)**

 **MST – Moscow Standard Time**

 **Leh – citizen of Lehistan**

 **Kola - no, he's not the second coming of Toshiro, lay down the pitchforks already**

 **Aina's name – Servant x Service anyone?**

 **KVKU - Karlslander Vereinte Kampfflugzeugbauer Union - Karlslander United Fighter Plane Builder Union, something Toshiro Edelweiss, the protagonist of the Chosen One series** ** _helped_** **form**

 **Toshiro Edelweiss – protag of the Chosen One series, biggest Gary Stu the SW fanfic section saw, former Kaiser of Karlsland, it's first President, blah blah**

 **Himmelssucher - Sky Searcher**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**

 **Also! Make sure you pop-in on our Discord server! We have other Strike Witches authors, and more! Link in my profile.**


	2. Chapter 2 – In we go

Chapter 2 – In we go

* * *

Despite the fact that the girls had full helmets and insulated suits, they heard the whiz of the cold wind as they descended in free fall down to their target. Aya looked at her altimeter, which had tritium illuminated handles. They were visible without the night vision they had built in, but with its support, they gave off an eerie pale green glow. It showed nine thousand meters, and their descent was a really fast one.

"Eight klicks left…" she murmured through the close range transponder.

"Roger," the rest of the Karlslanders responded.

"So what's our parachute opening altitude again?" Marie asked.

"It has to be fully opened before one thousand meters, or you'll end up as a wet puddle on the runway of the base, or skewered on some pine tree in the nearest woods. If your AAD fails, pull the cord as if your life depended on it. Well, it does…" Sieglinde said with a cold voice. "And those damn commies didn't even bother to light the IR lamps… Angela?"

"Yes, yes… Gimme a second, I have to concentrate to do it fast and with a possibly small magic trace…"

After a few seconds, Angela dimly flashed blue and said, "We're on course. Continue descent as planned."

"I hope we were at least announced…"

 **Lebyazhye Air Base, Orussian SFSR**

 **Commander's office**

 **January 15, 1983, 2320 MST**

"Boooother…" Kola moaned in his chair. "Why are we even waiting for them? Let them land in their plane, board out, go here, and hit the hay…"

"We want to welcome them properly, you backwater oaf…" Katie mumbled, but her face expression changed suddenly. "Hey, wait a second… I'm suddenly detecting five presences entering our building!"

"Ssssh!" Ellie silenced her. "Tell me more."

"I don't know shit!" she said silently. "Maybe those are some foreign assassins wanting to kill us?"

"Then let's confront them," Ellie said while pulling the slide of her trusty APS pistol, and she bonked Katie on the forehead with the tip of the barrel.

"Hey?!" Katie protested.

"Language…"

"Oh, sorry… I forgot myself…" Katie mumbled. "Anyway, do you even use that old gun? Look!" she pulled out her gun and waved it around. "A PSM! Introduced only nine years ago!"

"Because I can handle the recoil and spread using my magic. Kola, do you have a gun?"

He pulled out a Makarov pistol from behind him, and waved it before them.

"Guilty as charged."

"Then let's go," Ellie commanded. "Katie, you take point. Your Absolute Sonar magic will be most useful in our dark corridors."

"Why don't we have light in them anyway?"

"The previous inhabitants' yoinked all the light bulbs it seems…" Ellie answered. "I'll take a flashlight in case of emergency."

Katie sighed, and they went out.

 **Lebyazhye Air Base, Orussian SFSR**

 **Main building entrance**

 **January 15, 1983, 2323 MST**

"Why is it so damn dark here…? Sheesh…" Elsa said. "We have to use our night vision to see anything. Oh, I found the light switch!"

"No, don…" Sieglinde tried to protest but it was too late.

"Huh… Nothing?" Elsa turned the switch a few times. "Meh…"

Sieglinde approached Elsa and smacked her in her helmets rear.

"Moron! If the lights came on, we'd be blinded!"

"Eheheh… Sorry…"

"Uuuuugh… We have to find the commander here…" Angela moaned. "If only…"

"Ruki vverkh (Hands up)!" someone suddenly shouted and a sudden flash of light blinded them all.

The four Karlslanders acted on instinct, and pulled their Sig Sauer P220's out of their holsters, with Elsa pulling out two at once.

"Waaah! What's going on?!" Marie shouted. "My eyes!"

"Brosayte oruzhiye (Drop your weapons)!" another voice commanded.

"Kto vy (Who are you)?" Aya asked.

"Vy pervym (You first)!" the first voice asked.

"Starshyi praporchyk Aya Edel…" she didn't even finish, and the light was killed.

"Oh crap…." the second voice gasped. "We're sorry!"

"C-Can we t-turn off our n-night vision?" Aya asked.

"Yes, please," the first voice said.

They all turned off their NVG's.

"Come on you all, let's go to my office. We can introduce ourselves properly inside," the first voice told them and turned the flashlight on to illuminate the path.

They all arrived in a small room, with a desk and a few chairs. Now, with the lights on, they could see that they were overpowered by only three people – a silver haired Lieutenant-Colonel, a dark chestnut haired Major, and an almost two meter high, blond haired man in green mechanic overalls.

"Please, remove those helmets, it must be stuffy. And for God's sake holster your guns, and pack those parachutes…" the silver haired one said.

"Yes ma'am…" the five of them murmured.

They packed their parachutes in absolute silence, and afterward unsealed their pressurized suits. The air escaped the closed circuit with an audible hiss, and they started removing their helmets.

"Just like on the photo's…" the second one said.

"So I can safely assume you have our dossiers?" Angela asked.

"Yes, we just go them today," the silver haired girl said. "Ah, but yes, let me introduce myself – Lieutenant Colonel Eleanor Horbaczewski, sometimes called Ellie. Pleased to meet you."

She started giving a round of handshakes, going through Marie, Sieglinde, Angela, and Elsa. When she got to Aya, the latter hid behind Elsa.

"Huh? You don't want to shake hands with me?" Ellie asked surprised.

"Y-yes… N-no… I don't know…" Aya mumbled sadly from behind Elsa.

"I hope you studied her dossier thoroughly, ma'am," Angela said.

"Well, there's a problem with that… Half of her details look as if someone had a field day with a permanent marker… Most of you have a few streaks in your files too…"

"Shit… Pardon…" Sieglinde mumbled.

"What's the matter?" Ellie asked.

"Only our three and some of the top brass know the whole story behind Aya, but I didn't know her records are redacted…" Angela said. "But redacting our records? Weird as hell…"

"Why is that so? Why is her file looking like a quality check sheet in a marker factory?" Katie asked.

"Believe me, we would like to tell you, but we were made to swear under severe penalty not to reveal the details… We can only say some things, and Aya, if she manages to, is the only one that can fill you in on the details, as part of her therapy…"

"For fucks sake, stop beating around the bush and tell us already..." Katie sighed.

Ellie shot daggers at her, and Katie mumbled, "Sorry…"

"Let's start from Aya's positives. She's a genius, smarter even than her grandfather, who already was a genius of his own class."

"IQ?"

"190, measured a year ago."

Ellie whistled, and nodded. Angela continued.

"In combat she's a true demon, but outside… well… the only thing we can tell are "severe anxiety issues" and "borderline shut in.""

"But how can she serve in the army then?" Katie asked.

"Witch units were always a bunch of individualists, weirdoes even. Her issues have a limit, you know, ma'am. When she starts to gain trust, she can open up to a person. Hell, sometimes she behaves like a normal school girl between us four. However, it is a reaaaaally long process, when it comes to people completely new. We of the Vermächtnis-Quartett are an exception," Angela calmly explained.

"Legacy Quartet?" Ellie raised an eyebrow.

"Ah yes… You see, let us start from the basics. You probably saw that we were all born in the same month in one week gaps, starting with Aya."

"I didn't notice a connection, but whatever, please continue."

"We are all the granddaughters of the witches from the legendary 501st JFW."

"No way! I'm the granddaughter of Eugenia Horbaczewski!" Ellie cheered.

"Hmmm… Horbie, was it? Grandma told me about her…"

"Yeees… That was my grandma's nickname in the days… So, who is whose offspring?"

"Well, Aya is a no-brainer, but just as a refresher, I'll tell that she's the granddaughter of Yoshika Miyafuji and Toshiro von Edelweiss. My grandmother is Minna Dietlinde-Wilcke."

"My grandmother is Erica Hartmann," Sieglinde said.

"My granny is Trudy Barkhorn!" Elsa cheered.

"And she would be tumbling in her grave if she were dead… What a disgrace…" Sieglinde mumbled.

"Hey, Grandma is proud that I grew up a normal kid, not a stuck up martinet like she was… Or you for that matter!"

"Uh… Uhm…" Marie tried to interrupt, and everyone looked at her. "I also have a famous grandma…"

"Oh, do tell?" Ellie asked.

"Pierrette-Henriette Clostermann…" she blushed.

"Hah! What a coincidence!" Elsa shouted.

"Hey, my grandma is one of the Fire Sisters!" the chestnut hair girl said proudly. "Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself! Major Katherine Kowalski, born in the US of L, raised for the most part in Lehistan."

"Uhhh… And who's that polar bear sitting in the corner?" Elsa asked with a cheeky smile.

"My, are you rude, Ensign…" the said man said. "Private Kola Savchenko, mechanic extraordinaire. If it's not a smoldering pile of slag, I can fix it."

"Then why didn't you fix the lights here?" Elsa asked.

"Light bulbs don't grow on trees… Neither does money for that fact…" Ellie butted in. "We only have so much money that we managed to scrounge from our pays…" she approached her desk and pulled out something.

She opened her fist, and a few bills and coins fell out on the desk.

"Five rubles and fifteen kopecks…" Ellie sighed. "Good that the previous staff of this base left us provisions, firewood and fuel, or we'd damn die here… Three dollars sixty four… What a travesty…"

"U-u-uhhhhmm…" Aya tried to say something from behind Elsa.

"Huh? What is it?"

"I-I-I-I might have a s-s-solution…"

"What? You'll give us your pay? I hardly doubt a Senior Ensign earns more than fifty dollars monthly… So that would be give-or-take, a hundred thirty Karlsmarken…"

Aya, who previously was peeking from behind Elsa with her whole face, now only looked at Ellie with her left eye.

"Oh come on, Sweetie. If you have a proposition, you'll have to stand before me and say "Ma'am I have blahblah something,"" Ellie said with a smile donning her face.

Aya move slightly, and stood beside Elsa now.

"Come on, I won't bite. I'm not a total and utter stranger you know? I'm the grandchild of your grandfather's friend after all," Ellie said softly.

"Seventh water after the jelly I would say…" Katie mumbled.

"Oh shush… Wah!" Ellie took a step back, because when she turned her face back to look at Aya, she was staring nervously in hers. "Sorry…"

Aya started rummaging the small bag she had on her back, and pulled out an envelope. She gave it to Ellie and said, "G-Grandpa thought of s-such a s-situation…"

"Really now?"

"Y-yes… He always h-had an insane amount of m=money, so he spent it f-for the good of his unit…"

"Okaaaay… Let's see what's inside… The envelope is rather thin, no offence…"

She pulled out the content of the envelope. Dumbfounded, she spread it out in a fan and started counting.

"One… Two… Five… Ten… Ten Benjamin Franklins… A thousand dollars?!"

"Woah!" Katie shouted.

"Aya, uh, I mean Senior Ensign Edelweiss… Is it really okay?"

"Y-Yes… Grandpa told me to say "shut up and take my money," if any complications arose…"

"Heheh… Well… No complications whatsoever… We'll be making a shopping trip tomorrow after everyone arrives, Kola."

"Uhh, everyone?" Angela asked.

"Yes. There's still seven more girls to get here tomorrow. I just hope they won't paradrop them here… Anyway, is that all you have with you? A bag?"

"Yes ma'am, only the necessities," Angela said. "We were told our gear will arrive come tomorrow."

"Good… Okay then… What would you all say to hitting the sack for today?" Ellie proposed.

"I guess we can go to sleep…" Angela mumbled.

"Splendid. Katie, lead them to the barracks section, I have to make a shopping list for tomorrow. Thank you again, Senior Ensign Edelweiss… Or… Can I call you Aya; it's too long to call you like that all the time…"

"Y-Y-Yes ma'am! Please do!" Aya both blushed and smiled.

"Hahah! Go now you all grab some shuteye."

Katie took the flashlight, and they silently went through the dark corridors.

"Okay, here we are… Wait a second; I'll turn the lights on…"

Katie entered the dark room, and after a click of the light switch, the starters of fluorescent lamps started clackering, turning on three rows of lamps. The whole room was very spacious. Eight double bunk beds were found inside, four on each of the longer walls. Each bed had a nightstand by it on the ground with a reading lamp atop, and a small shelf screwed on beside the top bunk. The walls in the room, as well as the roof were white, with green tiles on the floor.

"Yes, your whole dozen will bunk together," Katie said before anyone could ask. "Although, as Ellie said, arrangements can be made, so behave. Have a good night."

"Good night ma'am," they all answered.

"Breakfast at seven, so wake up accordingly," Katie said as she disappeared into the dark corridor.

After the doors closed, Elsa said, "So, Marie, you also have a grandmother from the 501st? Why didn't you tell us?"

"You never asked, heehee… A simple girl from the Gallian province wouldn't know…"

"Province? So you're a bumpkin?"

"Hey, don't call me that! I'm proud of my current social status! My grandmother a bit less, but she loves me nonetheless!"

"Okay, sorry…" Elsa muttered apologetically.

"Girls, let's get undressed and sleep. It's almost midnight here, and I bet we have a busy day tomorrow," Angela commanded.

"Aww, but Angela…" Elsa protested.

"Shush," Sieglinde hushed her.

They all undressed quietly. Under the suits, the Karlslanders had standard Bundeswehr long-sleeved uniform in a weird camouflage pattern consisting of gray, brown, tan, and black blotches with mandatory exposed legs. Marie on the other hand had a gold-brown-yellow color scheme, but with same pattern.

"Oh? I've never seen such uniforms…" Marie said.

"Flecktarnmuster B," Angela explained. "It was trialed during the Trupenversuch 76, and we are carrying the test forward. Not that it works against Neuroi… Might as well be naked, which I will almost be in a while."

"Well, I also have a test pattern… Wait, what?"

Angela unbuttoned her uniform, revealing a pair of very shapely and rather big breasts, held together by a black bra.

"Wooooah… Such big…" Marie mumbled.

"You like? Double D's! I'm proud of my tits! I have the biggest of our four!" Angela shouted proudly.

"But only by two centimeters," Sieglinde said while exposing her rack.

"Puh… I've only got C's…" Elsa mumbled while uncovering herself. "How fare your twins, Marie?"

"Uh well… I also got only B's…" Marie said and pulled of her uniform, revealing said body parts held together by a white lace bra.

"Ooooh, nice bra you have there… You're not all that country style after all, heheh…" Elsa laughed. "Aya, why don't you show our new squad mate your knockers?"

"D-Do I have to?"

"We will be here in a strength of twelve; you're bound to get peeked on sooner or later."

Aya's face went through all shades of red, but she undid her uniform.

"Oooooh… Also good, almost as big as Senior Ensign Angela's…" Marie said.

"Please, call me by my first name. Why don't we all go on a first name basis?"

"Okay!" Elsa cheered.

"Meh, whatever…" Sieglinde mumbled.

Marie shook their hands, and stopped before Aya.

"Want to be my friend, Aya?" she asked with a soft voice and extended her hand.

"I… I…"

"Don't press her, Marie," Angela said.

Suddenly Marie felt her hand being gently squeezed. She looked at Aya, giving off a small smile.

Marie patted Aya's hand gently and said, "We should be good friends, you know? We are the third generation of the legendary 501st, the saviors of humanity after all."

Aya nodded, but she withdrew her hand.

"Too much for me for one day…" she said silently. "I want to sleep…"

"Did you bring Bärie with you?" Elsa asked.

"Yes, I think…"

Aya opened up her bag, and pulled out a small ball. She unzipped the ball, and pulled out a brown teddy bear. It had one odd feature, making it different from any other stuffed toy.

"What's that dog tag sewn to the tummy of that toy?" Marie asked.

Aya immediately turned around, tightly gripping the bear.

"Don't ask, Marie…" Angela sighed. "One of the things that we can't tell about… A very tragic accident…"

"Oh, okay… I won't force anything… By the way… Who'll kill the lights?"

"I can do it…" Aya mumbled. "Good night everyone…"

"Good night, Aya," Everyone answered and lied down on their beds, and tucked themselves under standard Soviet Army issued blankets.

Aya slowly approached the light switch. She turned off the lights, and trotted back to her bed. After covering herself in the blanket, she closed her eyes.

 _Good night, Simone…_

* * *

 **I guess there's nothing to explain, so no AN for you, capitalist pigs! (try to get that reference, hah!)**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	3. Chapter 3 – Slow progress

**The story will be re-rated to M after this chapter.**

Chapter 3 – Slow progress

* * *

Aya opened her eyes slowly. It was still dark.

 _Hmmm… What is this place? Where am I? Think… Think… Don't panic… Ah… I'm in a new base... Somewhere in Soviet Orussia… Elsa is sleeping over me; Sieglinde and Angela are sleeping in the bed beside me… My new friend, Marie, is sleeping opposite of me… I really was surprised she had something in common with me… Now I have a small foothold to start a relationship with her… I hate myself for being how I am but… I can't overcome it… I'm weak in life, and strong in combat, a truly chimeric creature… My new superiors seem okay… That Eleanor is very friendly, and her friend Katie is a real hothead it seems... That Kola fellow is mysterious, I'm half afraid of him, and half mesmerized… He must have some secret… Or he's simply an ass… Time to wake up Elsa…_

Aya stood up, and leaned over the top bunk. Elsa was sleeping with her mouth open, but without snoring. Aya took her wrist and pulled it gently. No reaction whatsoever.

"Elsieee… Wake up…" Aya whispered. "Elsie…"

"Hrrrrmmmmmhhhnnnnrrrrrmmm…" Elsa made some strange noises and turned her head towards Aya. "Oh, you're awake…" she said silently. "Always the first to wake up… Are you scared, Aya?"

"Only a little bit… I'm not accustomed to this whole situation yet, but having you three by my side helps…"

Elsa stroked Aya's head and said, "Good… Good… Let's wake up the rest."

"I'm awake already," Sieglinde said from their side, causing them to twitch. "Sorry I startled you two."

"Nah, no worries," Elsa said. "Hey, Angela, you're awake?"

"Yeees…" she moaned.

"Brrrrrrr… It's a bit chilly here…" Aya said. "I'll go check the radiators…"

Aya jumped down on the floor.

"Waaaah, cooold…" she silently voiced her disapproval while jumping around on the floor and she quickly jumped back into her bed. "I have to wear some socks…"

Aya pulled up her sturdy, military issue socks and went to the radiators, nicely lined up under the windows. She touched one of them.

 _Only lukewarm… Damn it… It's probably like minus twenty C outside… Might as well check…_

Aya opened the window, and an arctic breeze enveloped her slender body.

"Waaaah!" she shouted out loud and slammed the window shut. "It's so cold…" she said with tears in her eyes.

"Haaaaaah… What's happenin'…" Marie mumbled in her bed.

Aya twitched, and scuttled behind Angela's and Sieglinde's bed.

"Hmmmm…" Marie looked around the dark room. "Oh, I was transferred…" she mumbled. "Are my new frère awake already? I thought I heard some voices."

"Yes, we're awake already," Angela said. "Good morning, Marie."

"Good morning… Angela?"

"Yes, I'm Angela," the Karlslander smiled in the darkness.

"I'm sorry if I mix up someone's name, but my memory is merde sometimes…"

"So, who am I?" Sieglinde asked.

"The firm voice… Hmm… The blonde looking like a Valkyrie… Sieglinde?"

"Nice description, hah…" Sieglinde smiled mischievously. "Yes, that's me."

"Oh, and me?" Elsa asked.

"Cheerful voice… You must be the brown haired girl, Elsa."

"Yay, correct! Now do the last one of us!"

"Last one…. I would have to need her to speak up…"

"H-H-Hello, M-Marie…"

"Ah yes, the clear yet afraid voice… The crow black long hair… And those nice breasts… Aya?"

"Y-Yes… But why mention my breasts?!"

"I'm envious…"

"Heehee…" Aya giggled silently. "M-Maybe we should go and s-search for our superiors, everyone?"

"Good idea, Aya," Angela said. "Let's dress up, and search for them."

"No need, I'm here…" Ellie said suddenly from the darkness, and the lights slowly came on in the centermost row. "Good morning girls, how was the night?"

"We agree that we slept okay, right?" Angela asked and looked around.

After seeing all the nods towards Angela, Ellie said, "Good. I'm sorry that it's a bit cold in your room, but our central heating is aerated, and Kola has to fix that. So, get dressed and get out, so he can work in solitude. You know, rules about witches interacting with men and the sort…"

"Affirmative," Angela said. "Come on girls, chop chop."

They all started dressing up under the watchful eyes of Ellie. Yesterday they didn't have tights on, but given the fact they had insulated suits, they didn't need them. Today, every one of them pulled a pair on.

The Karlslanders went with military regulations, and pulled on olive camo tights. Marie however was a little less uptight about that and used marine blue ones.

"Shoo you all. Here's a light," Ellie threw a pocket lamp to Sieglinde. "The mesa's down the corridor to the left. Hope that Katie has a good mood, or you'll be pooping out your intestines."

"Huh?" Everyone tilted their heads.

"Her culinary skills are directly proportional to her mood. If she's all fluffy unicorns and rainbows, there's a chance she might brew up a masterpiece, but if she has a shit mood… well… you'd better break out the konserva's out of the pantry… Now… What was I… Ah, out you go!"

"Yes ma'am!" Angela shouted. "Form line!" she commanded.

A line was formed with Sieglinde first, Angela behind her, Elsa following, Aya behind Elsa and Marie closing the line.

"Put your right arms on the right shoulder of the one before you!"

Everyone did it, except Marie. She saw that Aya was bracing herself.

"Hey, Aya, can I place my hand on you?"

"Y-Yes… Thanks for asking…"

Marie gently placed her hand on Aya's right shoulder. Aya twitched slightly, but she then moved her shoulder a bit upwards.

"Sieglinde, light on!"

Sieglinde turned on the pocket lamp.

"Forward, march!"

The girls marched in place for a few steps, to synchronize, and then they walked out. Sieglinde made a left. The dim orange light of the pocket lamp shone on the dark corridor.

"I'm scared…" Aya said.

"Don't be afraid of the darkness, Aya. Be afraid of what is hides, heheh…" Elsa said.

"You're mean, Elsie!"

"Shut up you two…" Angela said. "How many of you noticed that that Kola guy was hidden in the dark, just a meter to the right of the door?"

"Me," Elsa answered.

"Me," Sieglinde said.

"And me…" Aya said.

"So you mean a grown man was stalking us in the dark… Waaaah, I don't want to be last!" Marie shouted.

"Shush I say! There's light leaking through the door ahead, go there, Sieglinde."

"Verstanden (Affirmative)."

They approached the big double door. Sieglinde turned off the lamp and put it in her pocket. She opened the door, and they were almost blinded by the lights inside.

"Ah, you're here already. Come on in, take a seat," Katie's voice was heard.

When their eyes got accustomed, they saw Katie in the kitchen window, and a whole mesa. It looked like a perfect normal mesa, with tiles on the floor, robust metal tables and chairs.

"Come on in, don't stand there! I have hot porridge for you all."

"Porridge for breakfast? A bit weird…" Marie said.

"The Oruskies eat like that, so we should too. Unless you can cook better, then please, release me from this burden," she said venomously.

"Ah no, no… It's just new to me… I didn't mean to offend you…"

"No offence taken. If I were offended, cutlery would be flying already, and your best bet would be to run, heheh… Come on, up to the counter."

The five approached the counter, and Katie pulled out some plates.

"Form an orderly line, everyone will get some," she said and slammed a few ladles of porridge into Sieglinde's plate. "What do you say?"

"Uhhh… Thank you?"

"Correct answer. It may not look like it, but it is really tasty. Here, a spoon," Katie said and gave her a spoon. "Taste it now."

"Now? Can't I take a seat?"

"Now," Katie said firmly.

"Oh well… Guten Appetit…" she mumbled to herself, and forced a spoonful in her mouth.

After chewing it down, she said, "Surprisingly good, despite looking like horse dick extract."

"I know I know…" Katie sighed. "But I don't have any fruit sauce to decorate it, or whole fruits for that matter. You know, Orussia, winter et cetera…"

"I won't complain since I'm a Karlslander soldier after all… Can I go?"

"Yeah, sure. Neeeext!"

Angela approached Katie.

"So you're the boss of this lot? Who gave you that authority?"

"Authority of authority, ma'am. Should I elaborate?"

"Duh!"

"Well, I'm the most organized of this lot, the most eloquent, I have the best tactical sense, and I have the biggest tits."

"By a shentimeeter at mowft!" Sieglinde protested with her mouth full.

"Biggest tits huh… You sure have nice knockers, it goes without saying, and even that baggy uniform can't hide it, to be honest."

"It's also ironical that my girls treat me as their leader, because before Aya's grandfather advanced in ranks past my grandmother, she was the formal commander of the 501st."

"History likes to repeat itself… Okay, you're ready to go, neeeeext!"

Elsa approached.

"You look like the mischievous spirit in this bunch, am I right?"

"People call me by various names – slacker, airhead, and so on – but I'm just lax when approaching life. You have only one, so I want to do it myyyyy waaaaaaay…" Elsa mused, imitating a famous Liberian singer.

"Hahah! Sinatra, right? But I guess there's something to offset you being how you are?"

"Thanks to my super strength and high load Striker, I can use a Vulcan cannon or a Rheinmetall 120 mm L/44 tank gun."

"Wheeeeeew…"

"But I only use those on special occasions, normally I dual wield MG3 H1's."

"H1? What's that variant? Never head of it…"

"What was it again, Sieglinde?" Elsa pondered.

"You forget about your own weapon…" Sieglinde sighed. "It has a reflex sight mounted on a rail, and is generally a bit lighter than the MG3 E's land infantry uses."

"Good enough. Okay, neeeeeext…"

Katie didn't see anyone approaching.

"Hey, wasn't there that black haired girl here? Aya I believe?"

"I-I-I'm here…" Aya slowly rose from under the counter.

"Oh, why are you hiding? I won't eat you, you know? Come on, straighten out, chest forward."

"I-Is that an order?"

"I'm trying to be friendly you know? Encourage you or something… But whatever, if you don't want to open up, I won't push you. I know all too well it won't work…"

"Mhhmm…" Aya muttered.

"So, what's your special magic?" Katie asked as she slapped some porridge on Aya's plate. "We didn't manage to get to it somehow…"

"I um… Just like Elsie…"

"You both have Super Strength? Ain't that some shit! Now I know who will do the heavy lifting!" Katie laughed and gave her another portion of porridge.

"Also… I… Um…"

"There's something else? Two types of special magic?"

"Healing…"

"You can heal? Splendid! Ah, but I see that you are at your limit for being sociable for now. Here's a spoon, go eat with your comrades."

"T-Thank you…"

Aya quickly ran off beside Elsie. The last one in for porridge was Marie."

"The Gallian, huh? I heard your grandmother was rich as fuck, but she donated almost everything to rebuilding her home country, right?"

"Yup! My Grandma was awesome for that reason but... the future generations have been impoverished a bit because of that… But I don't blame her, no way! I like the simple country life!"

"At least you're not piss mad about being a bumpkin. Here's your porridge, now it's time for me to eat…"

"Should I wait for you, ma'am?"

"No, I'll sit somewhere on my own accord. Go to your new friends."

"Okay ma'am."

The only free seat at the table occupied by the Karlslanders was either at Aya's or Angela's side. She took the latter option, because she felt that teasing Aya would be bad for her now. Marie tried the porridge.

"Hmmm… Not bad indeed… Mom could probably do better, but she would be using apples, so that's incomparable right now."

"Whatever goes… As long as it's not poisonous, we should eat it," Angela said.

Kola and Ellie came into the room silently.

"Kasha for the second time in a row? You should really upgrade your menu, Major…" Kola muttered.

"Put a lid on it, at least you have something to eat," Katie rebuked from the kitchen.

Ellie approached the eating girls and asked, "How is it?"

"Tolerable going into somewhat good," Elsa answered honestly.

"Not bad then… Katie?"

"Coming, coming…"

Katie gave Ellie and Kola a plate of porridge, and they both sat at a separate table. Katie joined them soon after, and they all ate silently. When the Karlslanders and Marie finished, Angela asked, "Hey, ma'am, could you give us a tour around?"

"Wait until we've eaten, then we'll go," Ellie replied.

"Understood."

* * *

The girls waited for Ellie to finish, and she stood up from the table.

"Okay now… Kola, you find yourself a job or something. Katie… Hmmm… Come with me."

"Kay."

"Come on girls,"

* * *

The whole group went on along the corridor. They landed up before a large double door.

"This, my dear girls, is our gym."

Ellie and Katie opened the door, and the girls saw a very spacious gym, dimly lit by the light of the rising sun, shining through the glass panes placed almost under the roof. It was a fairly normal gym, with ladders on the wall, two ropes hanging from the ceiling, three benches with weights and a large field to play whatever games one could imagine. Goal posts for playing soccer were there, as well as baskets for basketball and a net for volleyball. Also a few punching bags could be sighted.

"Mmmmmhhhhmmm… I am content…" Sieglinde said amazed.

"Wooooow… It's even better than the gym at my school was…" Marie gasped. "Say, Sieglinde, I saw that you have a rather athletic figure, apart from having your rather voluminous breasts… Do you work out hard?"

"Thank you for noticing. Yes, I do work out hard. My dynamic combat style needs it."

"I see… The rest of you also has rather toned figures…"

"Aya and I are taking the Bundeswehr fitness program seriously," Angela said. "Elsa is slacking off, but she's doing cardio to keep fit. Her inherent magic is more than enough for dealing with Neuroi in brute force manners…"

"Hey… I started lifting lately…" Elsa puffed her cheeks.

"I can't wait to see all you girls working out or playing soccer here," Katie said. "But we won't be doing anything right now, right, Ellie?"

"Yeah, we won't bother. I doubt you all have your gym clothes, right?"

"We don't… We only have one pair of undies for change…" Angela said with red cheeks.

"Don't worry; I believe the rest of the girls will come with supplies for you. In the meantime, lookie here."

Ellie approached a door to the right of the gym, and opened it. She turned on the lights, and they saw a changing room.

"Is this… A bath?!" Angela asked with eyes sparkling.

"We have a fully functional banya complex which is warmed up by geothermal heat and the earnest work of Kola in the boiler room. There's nothing like a visit in this place after an honest workout." Katie said proudly. "We tested it already!"

"I've never been to such an establishment before…" Sieglinde muttered.

"We'll all bathe together in the evening; you'll see how it is," Ellie said.

Aya twitched a bit hearing that.

"F-F-Fourteen girls… All… N-N-Naked… S-Skinship…" Aya stuttered. "I'm not ready for t-this…"

"Come on, Aya, it isn't that bad…" Ellie tried to convince her. "I'll just tell everyone not to touch you without your permission, or they'll be cleaning the latrines, which are down the corridor to the right by the way."

"R-Really?"

"Really. I think I'm starting to figure you out slowly. But you aren't afraid of getting naked then?"

"I'm not afraid of my body… I'm sort of proud even…" Aya said with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Show me," Ellie sad firmly.

"W-What?! Why s-s-so suddenly?!"

"I'll break you in. Shock therapy."

"I don't think that would be a good idea… I don't know how she might react…" Angela said.

"I… I'll try…" Aya said and started undressing herself.

In a few seconds, she was standing there in her bra and tights.

"My, my… What a body… Something to really be proud of…" Ellie said and approached her.

Suddenly she placed her hand on Aya's naked stomach, to which the latter stiffened up visibly.

"Oh my… Your abs are rock hard, yet they're barely visible… Relax, Aya, loosen up a bit… A little skinship didn't hurt anybody… And you probably heard the tales of our grandmothers…"

"Y-Yes… The things my grandparents did…" Aya shuddered, but her muscles loosened up.

Ellie's hand wandered around her stomach, and she went on to her back, this time using both hands to _inspect_ her.

"What a nice and straight back…"

Her hands wandered up to the hooks of the bra. She undid them with a swift movement. Aya quickly caught the falling bra and held it up her against breasts.

"L-L-Lieutenant Colonel… Wh-Wh…."

"Boob grab!" Ellie shouted and grabbed Aya's breasts.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" she shouted.

"Firm… Plump… Well rounded…" Ellie muttered while squeezing and rubbing Aya's breasts. "I envy you somehow; my tits are slowly starting to sag… And yours are at least a number bigger…" Ellie sighed. "Okay, you can dress up again."

Aya dressed herself up faster than anyone could notice.

"How was it?" Ellie asked.

"I… This is only the second time I was groped and touched like that…"

"And who was the first one to do it, if I may ask?"

"Sigi…"

Ellie and Katie looked to the stern Karlslander, who replied, "What? I was a bit randy… I got smacked good by Aya anyway…"

"So you're what? L or bi?" Katie asked.

"I could probably say bi… But I didn't have a man yet to be perfectly clear… War sort of destroyed my plans…"

"What honesty…" Ellie said. "Good that the army softened a bit towards options different than heterosexual … So, what was I suppose… Hold on!" Ellie suddenly grabbed her ear. "Podpolkovnik Horbaczewski… Da… Da… Blyad'!"

"What is it, Ellie?!" Katie asked.

"A HB-2 Neuroi is flying towards the base! We have to destroy it, or the rest won't be able to land!"

"They're already on the way?" Angela asked.

"Half an hour away." Ellie explained. "Come on, let's go, we have to improvise!"

"But we don't have our Strikers, our guns!" Katie shouted.

"Remember what we saw in the hangar?"

"That? Ohhhhh… Now I know what you meant by "improvise.""

"What's going on? Improvise with what?" Angela asked nervously.

"You'll see. Let's go! On me!"

"Roger!" the girls shouted and ran out.

Kola, who witnessed the girls running girls asked himself, "What was that all about? They're going into battle? But the only thing we have are… Ohohoho… Now this will be something to watch!"

He ran to his room, and took his warm clothes. After quickly getting dressed up, he ran outside, using the same door the girls used.

 _Good that I visited the hangar yesterday._

* * *

 **120mm L/44 - if you've read my previous work, you should know I don't fuck around with shoulder mounted cannon sizes heheheh...**

 **MG3 H1 - a fictional variant. H is derived from the word Hexe, meaning witch.**

 **In case you're wondering - Ellie is straight and that was just some good old Slavic horseplay.**

 **Neuroi classification system:**

 **D – Drone**

 **I – Interceptor**

 **HB – Heavy Bomber**

 **M – Medium (Fighter)**

 **HD – Heavy Dreadnought**

 **SS – SuperSonic**

 **1-5 strength level, weakest to strongest**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	4. Chapter 4 – Baptism in fire

Chapter 4 – Baptism in fire

* * *

 **Airspace over the Orussian SFSR, 500 km east of Lebyazhye**

 **Approximately 10000 meters ASL**

 **Dutybound-1, C-130 heavy transport aircraft**

 **Pilot cabin**

"This is Mother Hen, Dutybound-1, come in," a voice sounded in the earphones of the pilots.

"This is Dutybound-1, Mother Hen, read you loud and clear." Captain Joseph Barnes, an Afro-Liberian pilot of the USLAF, and the first pilot of Dutybound-1 said.

"Slow down, Dutybound-1. The commies contacted us that a Neuroi is inbound for Lebyazhye Air Base. We can't let you near until the danger is cleared."

"Roger, Mother Hen, slowing down to two hundred miles."

"That's all, Dutybound-1. Dutybound-2 and Dutybound-3 have been already notified, over and out."

"Ah fuck… We have to tell the girls that we'll be slightly tardy…" Barnes said to his co-pilot, 2nd Lieutenant Lamar Johnson.

"Well, shit, I'll be the bearer of bad news…" Johnson switched to PA mode and said, "Sorry girls, you'll have to wait a little bit more, there are difficulties in Lebyazhye."

 **Back of the plane**

"Fuuuuuuuuuuck!" a witch with long dark hair shouted. "I hate being tardy!"

"It's not like were announced on a set time, Shinobu…" a tall witch answered.

"Oh can it, Nami… I hate being tardy regardless of the cause!" Shinobu rebuked. "Damn Liberians always slacking off…"

"Hey, don't you talk bad about my compatriots!" a bespectacled witch shouted.

"The FASDF would never be late!" Shinobu shouted back

"Shut up you two, I want to… muuuu…." a blonde witch said with a sleepy voice and dozed off.

"Wonder what's with her…?" Nami asked. "She's been sleeping like a log ever since we got here…"

"R.-Haraldsdotir…" a small witch with an ushanka on her head read from the sleepy witches' nametag. "She's probably Suomish…"

"And you look like a commie…" the witch with glasses said.

"And what of it?"

"Just tell me one thing – are you politically active or support your countries political system?"

"I refuse to answer the question. You know, KGB and CIA everywhere…" the Soviet Orussian girl said with a rather non-missable wink.

"Ah, okay… But I'll keep my eyes on you… My Liberian upkeep doesn't approve of communism…"

"Whatever you say, Starshina Clarke…"

"Why are you here with us anyway?" Shinobu asked. "Shouldn't you be traveling from your mother unit in your motherland?"

"It's a mystery to me… I was sent to Okinawa on short notice…"

"Eh, whatever, we'll get to the bottom of that after we land…" Shinobu sighed and looked at another dark haired girl. "You I understand, Romagna was obliterated…"

The girl sighed and answered, "I was transferred to Hispania after the fall of Romagna in '82…"

"And you probably also made a nice trip from Britannia, right, Moore?"

"I was transported through the Arctic Circle to avoid detection… It was so fucking cold…" the Britannian girl said and shivered.

"Let's just kick back and wait, it's only an hour or so left…" Elwyn said.

"I suppose so…" Shinobu grumbled.

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

"Katie, take over for me! I'm going to the control tower!" Ellie shouted.

"Roger! Follow me girls!"

All of them ran out of the building.

"C-Cold!" Marie shouted.

"You'll get used to it!" Katie shouted back. "Who can drive?"

The girls were a bit stumped, but Angela answered, "If you account for us Karlslanders, everyone."

"What about you, Marie?"

"I can't even if my life depended on it…"

"Okay then… Marie, Angela – you're on my team. The rest of you form team B."

"But what's going on?" Angela asked.

"You'll see in the hangar. Jump in!"

Katie pointed out to an UAZ-3151 standing forty meters before the building beside an UAZ-469, a ZIL-131 utility truck with its back covered with tarpaulin, and a snowplow. All the girls ran to it and got inside. Ellie took the other car.

"The hangar five hundred meters through the taxiways. Better use a car in this cold," Katie said and started the engine. Aya watched as Ellie drove the jeep to the control tower about two hundred meters from the building.

After a very fast drive to the hangar, Katie opened the small entrance. She lit the lights, and there they saw it. Right beside each other, stood two big tracked vehicles.

On the left, the 2K22/2S6 Tunguska tracked SAM system. A true new design, just accepted into service on 8 September 1982. It was armed with dual 30 mm 2A38M autocannons and doubled quad barreled anti-air missile launchers.

On its right, a true armored beast – the T-80A. Armed with a 125 mm 2A46M-1 smoothbore gun, a PKT coaxial MG and an NSVT AA machinegun, it was truly something to be feared of.

"You want us to fend off the Neuroi with a tank and mobile SAM, ma'am?" Angela asked.

"Yes. We have just about enough firepower to stop it, especially with a Magic Link. And I believe the Bundeswehr started training witches in tank driving…"

"That's true. The four of us graduated the course with flying colors. Elsa excels as a driver, Sieglinde is the perfect gunner, and both Aya and I are the born commanders."

"Aya a commander? Don't make me laugh…"

"Don't mock me, ma'am. In battle I'm a totally different person…" Aya said with a low sounding voice. "What are our duties?"

"Uh, well, kill the Neuroi I guess. How many of you know Orussian?"

Aya and Angela raised their hands.

"Good, the FCS' are in Orussian. Now go, mount the tanks!"

"Yes ma'am!" the girls responded and ran to their machines.

Sieglinde opened the front hatch of the tank, and slid onto the drivers' position. Aya jumped to the commanders' seat from the right turret hatch, and Elsa jumped on the gunners' seat through the left turret hatch. They all put on their furry communication helmets, which also were the Magic Link connectors, and tested the comms.

"Sigi, do you hear me?" Aya asked her first, because an armored wall separated them.

"Loud and clear."

"Elsa?"

"Ditto."

Aya switched to external comms and asked, "Ma'am, do you hear me?"

"Affirmative, Aya," Katie answered.

"Control tower, are you there?"

"On position, Aya," Ellie answered. "I can see the Neuroi coming in from the south. Give em hell!"

"Roger!"

Aya looked through the visors in the turret, and saw that the hangar door started opening.

"Sigi, fire it up!"

"Okay!"

Sieglinde pressed the big red button, and the 1200 horsepower GTD-1000M gas turbine came to life with a powerful roar. Aya could see that the Tunguska also started its engines by the smoke coming from its exhaust.

"Major, are we clear for engagement?" Aya asked.

"Drive to the middle of the aircraft stands near the control tower for now."

"Understood. Sigi, Panzer Vor!"

"Jawohl!"

The tank jumped forward and Sieglinde rushed to the designated point.

"You know what, Elsa, let's switch places, I'll have to operate all that stuff, and you can't do Orussian for shit…"

"Heh… True… I'll go first; you come to my place afterwards."

After doing some equilibristic maneuvers, Aya was now the gunner, and Elsa was the commander.

"Let's see…" Aya mumbled to herself and started operating the PO47-1S control board, which operated the autoloader and the 1A33 fire control system. "I think I got it… Elsa, look through the periscope and see if you can see something. I'll use the gun sights."

"Roger."

Elsa started observing through the TKN-3 electro-optical binocular periscope observation unit, and Aya looked through the 1G41 quantum periscopic gun sight.

"Target sighted!" Aya shouted and started lazing it. "Distance 5130, azimuth 180!"

"Confirmed target," Angela reported.

"Same here," Ellie reported. "Wait for it to get in range of all the weapons, and start firing at it with all you've got."

"Roger!" the girls responded, and the vehicles both stopped almost in place.

 _"_ _Hmmmm… The 9M119M Refleks missiles can rough up shit at a distance of five thousand meters… The rockets on the Tunguska are already ready to fire… Yes, this will do it!"_ – Aya thought

Aya pounded the buttons on the panel, and the autoloader started operating. The warhead part of the rocket was loaded into the breach, and then the second half was mated with it in one go.

"Major, I have an ATGM loaded, how are the things on your side?"

"Angela's trigger finger is obviously itching her. On three?"

"Good."

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

At the same time, Aya and Angela pressed the firing buttons on their respective control panels. The 125-millimeter cannon fired the rocket, which Aya had to guide in towards the target. Angela had to do the same thing, since the 9M311 surface-to-air missile she fired was a SACLOS radar guided missile. The missile fired from the Tunguska hit first, as it was travelling at an astounding speed of 900 meters per second.

"Target hit confirmed, minor damage!" Angela reported.

"Another one, go!" Ellie commanded.

"Yes ma'am!" Angela shouted and fired another missile, with the same result.

"Another one!" Ellie repeated.

As Angela fired the third missile, the Refleks missile finally hit the Neuroi in its center part, and the tandem HEAT warhead ripped it apart.

"Hit confirmed, core not damaged!" Aya shouted. "Target is crippled and gliding towards the hangar, distance 1700!"

"Don't let it regenerate, fire with everything you've got!" Ellie commanded.

The dual 30 mm cannons of the Tunguska started shredding the Neuroi apart in a deadly staccato.

"Elsa, get out and start pounding it with the MG!" Aya commanded.

"Yes!" Elsa shouted with enthusiasm, while Aya used the control panel to load a HEAT round into the breach.

"Eat this!" Aya shouted and fired.

The gun banged, while ejecting a half-piece of the propellant case. Aya saw through the sights that it hit. Still going, the Neuroi husk was about to crash into the runway. As if remembering it is a Neuroi, it started charging up its beam.

 **Two minutes earlier**

"Yes, have at it, bastard!" Ellie roared.

"Now that's what I called spirit…" somebody suddenly said from behind her, and she turned around, seeing Kola going up the stairs of the control tower.

"Don't want to miss the fun?" she asked with a sly smirk on her face.

"I want a front row ticket, heh…" Kola grinned on his own. "So that's a Neuroi?" he asked as he came closer to the windows.

"Yeah, that's it… But…" Ellie stopped talking as she saw what was happening. "Kola, I hope you can run fast?"

"Depends…"

"Get the singled out crate that's at the bottom of the tower, now!" Ellie shouted with determination.

"If you wish…" Kola sighed as he turned around and ran down the metal staircase.

The crate he was to take he already saw a few days ago, as he was the one who stored it here. He yanked the sleek wooden box with white Cyrillic **Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт-7** written on the top and he found himself back at Ellie's side in a few seconds.

"Splendid!" Ellie cheered. "Ah snap, it's locked!" she looked around nervously.

"Allow me…" Kola muttered, and after placing the crate on the ground, he stomped the padlock furiously with his thick military shoe, ripping apart the whole latch.

"Get a bigger hammer…" Ellie mumbled and quickly removed the lid. "Huh?" she raised an eyebrow. "I don't recognize this type of warhead…" she muttered to herself as she lifted one of the bottle shaped round. "Heavy like seven hells…"

Kola grabbed the piece of paper that was under it and quickly skimmed over it.

"Hmmm... This should be interesting…" Kola smiled. "Use the "P" marker on the sights for aiming."

Ellie quickly swiped the paper from him and she herself smirked.

"Indeed, my dear Kola…"

She quickly removed the safety caps from both the rocket engine and the warhead, and screwed them together. After sticking it into the launcher and twisting it slightly, she said, "I'm going topside, Kola. Be sure to watch carefully!"

"Roger that, boss."

Ellie jumped onto the ladder leading to the hatch, which in turn lead to the top of the roof of the tower. She slammed the hatch with her fist and the cold air immediately stung her skin. After jumping out, she immediately aimed at the gliding Neuroi through the PGO-7 sight. The "P" mark was between two vertical lines coming from the matrix under the crosshair at the top. She quickly estimated the distance, and put the Neuroi between the lines accompanied with horizontal lines with "1.5" written on the left side. She cocked the firing mechanism.

 **T-80A**

"Oh no you don't, bugger!" Aya heard Ellie's furious shout through the comms.

Aya looked out through her turret hatch, and saw Ellie standing on the top of the control tower with an RPG-7V rocket propelled grenade launcher.

 _"_ _What is that warhead? I didn't see a bottle shaped round like that…"_ – Aya thought

Ellie pressed the trigger. The stripped powder charge exploded, pushing out the grenade out of the barrel of the launcher. After less a fifth of a second, the sustained rocket motor kicked in, sending the warhead to its destination. Aya could see the four fins extending from the rear shaft, causing the grenade to start rotating for increased stability. The warhead hit just as about the Neuroi was about to fire. The explosion was unimpressive, as it looked like if a normal hand grenade exploded.

 _"_ _Was that it?_ "– Aya thought

Suddenly, the smoke cloud from the impact ignited and a fierce fireball ripped the Neuroi to shreds.

"Impressive…" Aya said. "Commander, what was that?"

"I found it in the control tower. According to the label, it was an experimental thermobaric warhead… Codename _Tanin_."

 _"_ _So that smoke cloud wasn't smoke after all… It was a cloud of fine magnesium powder, which ignited gave off that rampant explosion…"_ – Aya pondered

Katie crawled out of the driver's hatch of the Tunguska and cheered on.

"Good job, Ellie!"

"Thanks, Katie! Everyone, good job! I'm proud off all of you!"

The Karlslanders crawled out of their positions, saluted, and shouted, "Thank you ma'am!"

"At ease!" Ellie shouted. "Get those vehicles off of the runway, and then join me in the main lobby!"

"Yes ma'am!" the girls shouted.

"Sieglinde, will you manage?" Aya asked.

"Yes, Aya. Take Elsa with you, and go to the main building.

"Roger. Come on, Elsa."

"One step behind you."

Both removed their helmets, and jumped out of the tank. They also saw that Marie and Angela jumped out of the Tunguska. Ellie used the UAZ she had parked under the control tower, and silently drove off to the main building.

 **Sieglinde and Katie**

Sieglinde smoothly drove into the hangar, and parked alongside the Tunguska driven by Katie. They both parked in the southeastern corner, because the Launch Units and new equipment would needed to be moved freely. She killed the engine, and crawled out of the tank through her hatch.

"So, how was it? It has power, huh?" Katie asked while crawling out of the Tunguska.

"I must say, ma'am, it drives better than some cars I've driven, and I drove a whole fucking lot. Pardon my language."

"No need to be such a prude around me, Ellie is a bit more conservative when it comes to swearing."

"I'll keep that in mind, ma'am."

"Stop ma'aming me, Jesus… Call me Katie; you deserve it for such good driving."

"Okay, Katie…" Sieglinde said with a faint smile "Let's go to the rest?"

"We should. Ellie wanted us to gather in the main lobby, and she's rather stingy about waiting."

 **Ellie and Kola**

Ellie closed the hatch behind her and looked down, seeing Kola with a satisfied grin plastered to his face.

"What, think somebody like me can't shoot?" Ellie asked provocatively.

"My exposure to witches was highly limited in my life time, so it's nice to see what you're capable of, Ellie," Kola answered honestly and extended his hand. "I'll take that."

"Oh, thanks," Ellie smiled and threw him the launcher, sliding down the ladder a second later. "What will we do with it by the way?"

"I can everything and store it later in the hangar."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Ellie said. "But for now come on, let's go back _home_. I'll drive you over."

"I can't say no…"

 **Aya, Marie, Angela, Elsa**

Marie had a rather bleak face expression, and she was walking next to Angela like a zombie from a B-movie.

"That was so… intense… I don't even…"

"What's with her?" Elsa asked.

"If I would have to guess, she's mesmerized and/or in shock after seeing such a display of force. I guess the Gallian Army doesn't have such nice toys…" Angela said.

"Well, I was in a backwater unit to begin with…" Marie said after snapping out. "And it was the first time I ever was in an armored vehicle, heehee…"

"Well, we are rather proficient with every type of fighting vehicles," Angela said. "Us four had to undergo very rigorous training regimes…"

"Like?"

"Well, for example, since we are in fact all officer candidates, we had to do the Einzelkämpferlehrgang in its both versions."

"Einzalk… What?"

"Commando course," Angela said.

"Oh… Other stuff?"

"Express panzer, anti-aircraft, anti-armor training," Angela listed on. "We're the border country with Lehistan; we had to get serious education in case the Warsaw Pact countries start their move. In case we couldn't fly using Strikers, we could always be used as ground troops."

"Wow, you had to learn all that stuff a long time…"

"Well, since the minimal age of conscription is 13 years for witches or 12 for wizards, but that's a blue moon during an eclipse occurrence, we were being trained… four years basically, five in October. But don't worry, Marie, the military academy isn't something scary. It is practically a normal school, something like a Fachshule, you know, general classes plus military stuff. At the age of sixteen we graduate those and go to normal units, the Luftwaffe in our case."

"Sounds manageable… There was no conscription in Gallia until the UN summit announced a worldwide call to arms… By the way, you're all going to turn eighteen this year?"

"Well yeah… We were all born in September, 1965."

"No wonder you're all so tall…" Marie pouted.

"You're not too shabby eithe r, Marie," Elsa said. "Our grandma's were a lot shorter by comparison. "Aya has waaaay outgrown her grandma, I am also a tad taller, Sieglinde is even better than Aya by comparison, and Angela too outgrew her grandma. I believe you're lucky too, Marie."

"Ah well, grandma Perrine is a bit of a shorty, heheh…"

"What are you talking about gals?" Katie suddenly approached with Sieglinde by her side.

"Ah, military education and such, ma'am…" Angela answered.

"Always a topic… Let's go y'all, Ellie doesn't like to wait."

"Roger."

They entered the main lobby of the building, and saw Ellie, slowly clapping her hands while leaning against the wall across the entry.

"Very good job, all of you. But I have one question: would you fire another salvo to destroy the Neuroi that was falling down?"

"Y-Yes ma'am…" Aya said silently. "I h-had a HEAT round l-loaded in the cannon…"

"Would you fire it with full prejudice?"

"Y-Yes ma'am…"

"Good. Then we probably would pull this off… What a horrendous shame that even we don't have our equipment…"

"Um, pardon, but this does seem like some kind of rush job, ma'am…?" Angela asked. "Us going here and all…"

"I have the exact same feeling. Katie and I were transferred from Levashevo with a fifteen-minute notice to grab our stuff and board the plane. We only got here a few days ago…"

"Why do we have a whole damn airbase for our own use, ma'am?" Sieglinde asked. "It doesn't make any sense! This will be a ghost town anyway, despite fifteen people manning it…"

"The top brass makes weird decisions sometimes, I have to admit… But how did they manage to gather so much people from all around the globe, all granddaughters of famous SNW Witches…?"

"Meh, why bother thinking about this…" Katie said. "Any word on the rest of us getting here?"

"Three C-130 transporters are coming here. They'll land in half an hour. They already thanked us for clearing the way."

"Three?" Angela wondered. "They must haul a shitload of gear…"

Ellie furled her eyebrows and said, "Mind your language a bit, Senior Ensign."

"Pardon, ma'am."

"Told ya…" Katie whispered to Sieglinde.

"So, how are we going to kill the time, ma'am?" Angela asked.

"It's only half an hour… Hummm… I setup a link from the control tower to my transponder, so nobody needs to be there… Oh, Kola, what's that in the cardboard box you're carrying?"

The girls turned around and saw Kola carrying a cardboard box.

"I found light bulbs in the storeroom. High time to screw them in…"

"The girls will help you, right girls?" Ellie asked.

"Huh, what?" Angela asked.

"Since the ceiling is barely at three meters, one of you can jump on Kola's shoulders and screw the bulbs in. Any volunteers?"

One could literally hear the cold wind blowing outside.

"Initiative. The strong point of your lot…" Ellie sighed. "Aya, up."

"M-M-Me?!"

"Yes, you. You're tall enough to just sit on his shoulders."

"If you insist… ma'am…" Aya went to Kola with her head hung low. "P-Please, you d-don't need to kneel…"

She grabbed his shoulder and hoisted herself up with a fluid jump.

"Hoho, just like the Bolshoi Ballet, hahaha!" Kola laughed aloud and raised the carton. "Check if a bulb is okay first, we don't want to do this over or trip the breakers…"

"O-Okay…"

Aya picked up one incandescent light bulb. According to the writing on it, it was a 60W bulb, good enough for such a corridor with its current lamp placement. She looked at the tungsten filament inside and she shook the bulb.

 _Nothing loose…_

She then shook it by her ear.

 _Still nothing… All good…_

She grabbed the bare lamp, and screwed the bulb in. After a few turns, it turned on.

"Oh? The lights are on…"

"Who could get it straight with these retarded, unmarked rotary switches…" Kola sighed. "At least we have one bulb, about a wheelbarrow to go…"

"Awwwww…"

"Don't worry, devushka, I won't hurt you," Kola said with a soft voice. "I hope you have a perfect balance though, you never know…"

"I-I'm fine, thank you…"

"Get every second one for now you two," Katie said. "We desperately need lighting in the evening."

"Sure thing, Katie," Kola responded. "Come on, devushka, let's go."

"Y-You can call me Aya… sir…"

"Then don't you sir me, Aya, I'm Kola. Besides, you are waaaaaaaaaaaay higher in the military hierarchy then me…"

"Okay… I'll try…"

"Sieglinde, bend over, I'm helping Aya," Angela whispered.

"You really want to do this circus…?" Sieglinde whispered back.

"Yes," Angela whispered. "Aya is almost panicking, but she won't disobey an order…"

"Okay… Why do we love that girl so much…?"

"Because she's in need of love and care. And her grandparents themselves asked us personally to watch over for her."

"Ehhhh… Jump up…" Sieglinde sighed so deeply it almost hurt.

Angela mounted Sieglinde's shoulders, causing a reaction from Ellie.

"Oh look, volunteers after all! Two even! Go go go, the plane can come any minute now, and we have to greet them!"

"Yes, yes… Uh… Private… Bulbs please…" Angela asked shyly after lining up with Kola and Aya.

"Help yourself," he said and put up the carton into her reach. "I recommend not taking more than two at once."

"Thanks for the heads up…"

Angela took two bulbs, and _quality checked_ them as Aya did. Sieglinde jogged with her to the end of the corridor, where they installed the two light bulbs; while in the meantime, Aya and Kola were also making progress. After a few minutes, every second lamp now had light bulbs installed and shining brightly.

"Perfect!" Ellie cheered and clapped her hands together. "Now come on, everyone. Let's mount the cars and wait for the rest."

"But it's cold…" Marie muttered.

"Oh you'll have to get accustomed to the cold, Dearie. This ain't Marseille at summer!" Katie snickered.

"I sort of guessed by the loads of snow lying everywhere I can set my eyes on… I just hope my Striker won't freeze…"

"Our grandmothers would just add some glycol to the engine coolant or place the Strikers over a fire to run it, the 4th Gen Jet Strikers are much better in lower temps," Ellie said. "Come on, everyone. Kola, coming with us? It would be less a hassle if you meet the girls now."

"I suppose so… I'm going then."

The whole group yet again went out into the cold winter morning.

* * *

 **AN TIME!**

 **USLAF - United States of Liberion Air Force**

 **FASDF - Fuso Air Self-Defence Force**

 **Magic Link – a system to link the innate passive buff to anti-Neuroi damage of witches to a tank/AFV cannon.**

 **Thermobaric warhead - yeah, the TBG-7 makes an appearance three years early**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	5. Chapter 5 – All together, one apart

Chapter 5 – All together, one apart

* * *

 **Dutybound-1 cargo space**

"Dear girls, we will soon approach land," a voice has flown through the PA speaker. "Fasten your seatbelts."

"Yahoo, finally!" Elwyn cheered.

"Huh… Wha…" the sleepy witch opened her eyes. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost," Shinobu said. "We never got your name by the way."

"Oh… I'm… Uh… Just call me Aina for short…" she answered a bit embarrassed. "My full name is a bit embarrassing…"

"Oh come on, tell us!" Nami said. "We'll be in one unit for gods know how long, so that will come up sooner or later."

"Well… If you insist… Props if you remember this tomorrow… Here goes - Aina Inga Brunhilda Freya Eila Ruukilainen-Haraldsdotir."

Nami looked at Aina with her mouth open wide, but the rest was also fairly impressed judging by their facial expressions.

"Do they even wrote that down in your ID?" Nami asked.

"Heh, no… In my ID I'm Aina A.B.F.E. R.-Haraldsdotir… Barely fit anyway…"

"Incredible…" Tatiana said. "And I thought that Tatiana Aleksandrovna Bulhakova was flairy…"

"Haha, I'm the tallest but have the shortest name, heehee…" Nami giggled.

"Okay, everyone, stuff it and fasten your seatbelts," Shinobu said.

"And who made you commander?" Giulietta asked.

"I have the highest rank amongst us, and you probably don't want to make acquaintance with my two friends on my back right?" Shinobu pointed to the two katana's crossed on her backside.

"No…" Giulietta mumbled with a sour face.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Inside the ZIL-131**

"Say, Private…" Sieglinde said.

"What is it?" Kola asked.

"Are you good with mechanic stuff?"

"I could probably boast on for ages, but I'll say – yes."

"Good… I sort of like to damage my Striker in combat…"

"Fuselage damage is easy to repair. A sheet of aluminum and a welder is all I need. Well, I think, because…"

"Look, they're coming!" Katie shouted.

 **Inside the UAZ-469**

"The planes!" Marie cheered. "But… Why are they flying so weirdly?"

One of the C-130 was headed for the landing strip at a slow speed, but the others were powering on at least 200 km/h towards the taxiways behind one another.

"Maybe… Just maybe…" Angela pondered with squinted eyes.

Before Ellie finished her sentence, it was clear what the two intended. Their cargo ramp opened midair, and suddenly something dropped on parachutes.

"LAPES!" Angela shouted with eyes sparkling.

"Huh, what's a lapes?" Marie asked.

"Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System," Angela started explain as the crates dropped started grinding against the concrete. "They tie down cargo to pallets and drop it down on low altitude with a parachute attached. The parachute opens and pulls out the cargo thanks to the wind pressure. It also acts as a brake la…"

Angela's words were muffled as the two C-130 passed almost directly above them, rumbling with their four Allison T56-A-15 turboprops each. In the meantime, the third plane landed, made a tight turn at the taxiway and it headed for the intersection just before them.

Ellie grabbed her ear and said, "Yes… Yes, that's us before you… Okay, we're going to pick them up…" she tapped the inside of her ear and said, "Katie, come on to the intersection before us."

Then she started the engine and started to drive.

"Time to meet the rest it seems…" she said half to herself and half to the others.

"I-I hope they're as okay as you all…" Aya said quietly.

"Oh? Is that your approval of me?" Ellie said with a cheeky smile.

"I-I-I-I-I…"

"Don't worry; I'm not going to eat you if you say something else..."

"But I don't disapprove of you, ma'am…" Aya squirmed around.

"Well, I'm relieved to hear that, haha!"

The UAZ and the ZIL both arrived when the C-130 stopped taxying and opened the cargo ramp. Witches started to walk out. A very tall one, and one that was almost as tall as her, both black haired, one short cut, one long, wearing uniforms in black, brown and green large shapes on a pale green background. Afterward followed a witch with auburn hair and glasses on top of her nose, sporting a Woodland camo on her uniform. A Nordic beauty followed them, wearing a uniform in a pattern called _cucumber relish_. Beside her, a rather short witch with pale gray hair in a TTsKO uniform covered with an airborne pink camo variant. A dark haired Mediterranean rolled out next in a uniform in reddish-brown and ochre shapes on an olive green base. The last one was a girl with twin pigtails, wearing a P68 uniform, similar to the Woodland one the auburn hair girl had. All of them were carrying big backpacks, and all of them had tights on their legs. The C-130's cargo ramp closed and it started taxying for takeoff.

"Okay, let's get out and greet them," Ellie said, and the girls followed her order.

Katie must have also given a similar order, because she crawled out of the ZIL with Kola and Sieglinde. They all bunched together and waited for the whole lot.

As the procession led by Fusojins came closer, the tall one suddenly started squinting her eyes and tilting her head.

"Ayaya?" she asked a bit uncertainly.

 _"_ _That voice… She looks like… But I'm not sure… I can't just impose on a total stranger…"_ Aya thought

"Ayaya?" the one beside her asked. "You think that's…"

 _"_ _And that voice! It's been a few years but…"_

"Sh-Shino-chan? N-Nami-chan?" Aya asked nervously.

"Ayayaaaaaa!" the one Aya called Nami shouted in joy and ran up to Aya, lifting her from the ground with her hug. "Cousin Aya!"

"Nami…" Aya whispered with relief while hugging her back.

"Ho ho! Would you look at that! The little Aya has outgrown me, and is practically the same rank as me!" the witch with two swords on her back said. "Hi, Aya."

"Hello, Shinobu, it's been a while…" Aya said while rubbing her left arm.

"Um, I hate to interrupt, but would somebody explain this little teary reunion to me?" Ellie asked.

Aya's cheeks went aflame, and Nami let her go. Both she and Shinobu saluted and, the later said, "Warrant Officer Shinobu Sakamoto of the Fuso Air Self-Defense Force! And this is…"

"Senior Master Sergeant Nami Ranmaru, same affiliation!"

"That I know. I saw your files… But what do you three have in common?"

"You see, ma'am… Nami is Aya's cousin, rather distant but still. The both of us visited Karlsland on a student exchange program in the last semester before we were all drafted to the military academies of our countries. So you could say I'm her friend…" Shinobu blushed slightly.

"Oh, I understand," Ellie said. "Hey, the rest of you, come on closer, no need to hold back. Don't salute; just say who you are, without your ranks."

The girls looked at each other, shrugged, and formed a line.

"Giulietta Francesca Pesci from Romagna."

"Tatiana Alexandrovna Bulhakova from Orussia."

"Elwyn Francine Clarke from Liberion."

"Uh… Aina Haraldsdotir from Suomus."

"Elizabeth Moore from Britannia."

"Moore?" Katie asked suddenly. "Wait… Come closer to me…"

"Me?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, you, come on."

Elizabeth approached Katie with a somewhat scared look.

"My god… Lily? Is that you?" Katie asked enjoyed.

"Huh?"

"It's me, Katie! Don't you remember me? Our grandparents are sisters! We're cousins!" she started shaking her.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I don't recall ever meeting you…" Elizabeth delicately but firmly separated herself from Katie's hands "But indeed, my grandmother Anne-Marie has a sister, Karen-Ophelia."

"Oh my god… What happened…? Why did you forget me…?" Katie asked with tears involuntarily welling in her eyes.

"When I was six, a car hit me. My skull was cracked and I was in coma for half a year. I have total amnesia, and I don't remember anything from the six years prior to the accident. So ma'am, if we are indeed relatives, I'm sorry but… I don't remember…" Elizabeth answered politely but with guilt on her face.

Katie quickly wiped her tears, and patted Lily on the head.

"I'm not mad at you or anything. I understand your condition. But if amnesia is the case, let's get to know each other from scratch," she said and extended her hand. "Katherine Kowalski."

Lily shyly took her hand and shook it gently.

"Elizabeth Moore."

"Call me Katie, do you hear, Lily?"

"Yes ma… Um, I mean, okay Katie…"

"Okay, I hope that the family reunions stopped now, because this is getting cheesy, and it's cold," Ellie said. "Ah, I forgot. Girls, tell your names to the newcomers.

The Karlslanders and Marie nodded and they started introducing themselves.

"Angela Bauer, Karlsland."

"Sieglinde Bäcker, Karlsland."

"Elsa Feuerstein, Karlsland."

"A-Aya von Edelweiss, Karlsland."

"Marie Bonaparte-Champignon from Gallia."

"Now that that's behind us, let's go to the building," Ellie said. "Your first debriefing awaits. And a little… bonus. Newcomers hop in the back of the truck, rest as you were before."

"Um, ma'am, who is that guy?" Giulietta asked pointing out at Kola.

"That's our mechanic, maintenance guy etc. – Kola."

"Oh, thanks…"

"No problem. Hop to it, everyone!"

* * *

Minutes later, they were all standing in the lobby of the main building.

"Now, I'm going to get something, and you all stay put," Ellie said. "Socialize a bit or something, it will take me a few minutes."

Ellie went away, and Aya suddenly spoke.

"Hey, Nami, Shino – you know that the all seven of us that were here before you all came are related in one way?"

"How is that, Ayaya?" Nami asked.

"All our grandmothers were members of the 501st JFW during the Second Neuroi War! Except for Miss Katie and Miss Ellie, heh…"

"No shit?" Shinobu said surprised. "Then Nami is our black sheep, heheh…"

"Hey, my grandma did well in the 31st JFS…"

"But mine was a league ahead of yours anyway, heh… Hey, wait a second… Elizabeth?"

"Yes?" the Britannian asked.

"You said you're grandma was named Anne-Marie. Could you perhaps be referring to one of the Fire Sisters?"

"Umm… Yes."

"Oh shit, another SNW connection..."

"Hey, hey!" Elwyn raised her hand. "My grandma was Charlotte Yeager!"

"Pics or it didn't happen!" Shinobu shouted.

To that, Elwyn pulled out her wallet, and showed her a picture in its inside. It showed a younger Elwyn, probably her mother, and most definitely her grandmother.

"Well I'll be…" Shinobu said in wonder.

"And your grandma was Mio Sakamoto, right?" Elwyn asked.

"Yes!" Shinobo said proudly.

"Hah! What a coincidence!"

"Eila Ilmatar-Juutilainen," Aina said. "My grandma, that is."

"Another one!" Elwyn shouted.

"Sanya Vladimirovna Litvyak…" Tatiana said while raising her hand.

"Francesca Lucchini!" Giulietta cheered.

Everyone immediately covered their chests, with the notable exception of Kola.

"Wha?" Giulietta asked dumbfounded.

"The offspring of the Lucchini… Apage, Satanas!" Elwyn shouted while forming a cross with her index fingers.

"Heehee… True, I like to grope people like my grandma but… Let's say I'm restraining myself a tad better…" Giulietta muttered with a sour face.

"Do you promise that?" Angela asked.

"I promise. I won't be too… forceful…"

"Well okay… But I'll still keep an eye on you… And on the commie," Elwyn muttered.

"I thought we had that behind us…" Tatiana sighed.

"Everyone, attention!" Ellie shouted suddenly, coming into view with a big box. "Not you, Katie… Kola, you can stand aside too. Form a nice line, everyone."

After some moving and muttering, a line was formed.

"Um, I have an announcement to make," Giulietta said.

"Huh, now?"

"Yes, now's the perfect occasion."

"Okay, go, if you have to…"

"In accordance with Romagnan Military Law, I declare that I, Giulietta Francesca Pesci, am a lesbian."

Everyone looked dully at her.

"Well, that's something…" Katie said dumbfounded.

"I heard about those new laws in the Romagnan military…" Ellie said. "Okay, thank you for the heads up, at least Kola will sleep soundly in the night…"

"Heh…" both Kola and Giulietta snickered briefly.

"Okay, let's proceed… I would like to welcome all of you in the Lebyazhye Air Base. Our duty is to protect the people and installations in a two hundred kilometer radius from here, with the exception of the east, the Kazakh Soviet State Republic can defend itself. Our most important places to defend are Volgograd to the south-west and Saratov to the north-east. You will all be given your usual pay every two weeks. You can request supplies and other items from me. We will all be given food supplies on daily basis from Kamyshin. And well, once again, welcome to the 777th International Fighter Wing. And now, the surprise. Katie, help me with this one."

"Okay," Katia said and took the box from Ellie.

Ellie pulled out four small boxes and approached the Karlslanders.

"Congratulations, all of you were promoted. The three Senior Ensigns are now First Lieutenants, and you, Elsa, are now a Second Lieutenant."

The four saluted and shouted, "Thank you, ma'am!"

She gave them the boxes, and returned for another two. This time she approached the Fusojin.

"Warrant Officer Sakamoto, you are hereby promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant."

"Yes ma'am!"

"Senior Master Sergeant Ranmaru, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer."

"Thank you, ma'am!"

Katie handed out the next box, and Ellie got over to the next witch.

"Senior Master Sergeant Clarke, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant."

"Thank you, ma'am!"

"Aspirant Marie Bonaparte-Champignon, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant, or sous-lieutenant as you would call it."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Master Sergeant Haraldsdotir, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant."

"Thank you, ma'am!"

"Senior Warrant Officer Tatiana Aleksandrovna Bulhakova, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Senior Lieutenant."

"Spasibo, madam!"

"Marshal First Class Giulietta Francesca Pesci, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Sublieutenant."

"Thank you, ma'am!"

"Chief technician Elizabeth Moore, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Pilot Officer."

"Thank you, ma'am!"

"And that would be all, wheeew…"

"But why the sudden promotions, ma'am?" Angela asked.

"Supposedly it's because you're in such a prestigious unit, everyone needs to be at least in an NCO rank. Look at it this way – more money for everyone, heheh… But for now, drop your new epaulettes, ID's and pay, that's the content of the boxes by the way, and let's go unpack all the stuff you came with in the planes. Katie, lead the new girls to the bedroom."

"Sure," Katie said. "Here, let me take that for you," she said to the _veterans_.

The five gave their boxes to Katie, and watched as she went to the bedroom with the new girls.

"Grandpa will be so proud…" Aya said quietly.

"Everyone will be proud!" Elsa shouted. "We are commissioned officers now!"

"But you're still a rank lower…" Sieglinde sighed. "Get your shit together, Elsa…" she added almost inaudibly.

"Meh, too much hassle… I can now have hoard booze for representative purposes, heehee…"

"And who told you that you can drink here, huh?" Ellie asked with a sly face.

"Uhhh…"

"I'm pulling your leg. A beer now and then won't hurt anybody, but I won't tolerate being drunk before, or God forbid on a mission."

"Understood."

The rabble came in with Katie leading them.

"Ah, let's go," Ellie said. "Where did Kola go?"

"To his room."

"He should… Ah, whatever. Katie, take 3151. I'll take the 369 and… Aya, do you want to drive the ZIL?"

"Oh, can I? I like to drive, especially such big vehicles…"

"If it pleases you, then go for it."

"T-Thank you, ma'am."

"Everyone take whichever vehicle you'd like." Ellie said.

* * *

After a few minutes, the three vehicles and the fourteen witches were standing before.

"Any propositions as to which crates to load on the truck first?" Angela asked.

"That crate with the Bundeswehr markings is intriguing me…" Ellie said.

"That long one?"

"Yes. You know what, let's unpack it now. Got any tools?"

"Tools? Hahaha, we got Elsa, ma'am!"

"Ah, I forgot, haha."

"Oh, can I open the crate?"

"Yes you can. But we have to undo all the straps first. It's tied down tighter than a cattle for branding," Ellie said.

A few minutes later, all the straps were undone. Elsa took the crate from the top, and placed it on the ground. A few girls came closer, amongst which was Aya. Ellie ripped open the wooden lid. Inside the crate was a five meter in length, futuristic looking cannon.

"Mein Gott… No… Oh crap, Aya, don't look!" Angle shouted.

"Nein… Nein… Nein…" Aya fell back on her back and started crawling away from the crate. "Nein… Nein…"

"Aya, stay calm!" Elsa shouted.

But it was too late for Aya. Her eyes already signaled that she was in full panic mode. She grabbed her head with both her hands, and an unhuman shriek pierced the ears of the gathered.

"NEEEEEEEEIN!"

A sudden invisible shockwave struck everybody, and Aya disappeared.

"What was that?!" Ellie shouted in pure shock.

Angela sighed and started explaining.

"Aya has a very powerful, yet rather complacent familiar inside her. However, he can be overprotective sometimes. Whenever Aya is in a _fight or flight_ situation, he takes over. Thank God there were no _fight_ options against human beings up to today…"

"But how did she…"

"Again, her familiar. He has an impressive set of abilities…"

"He?" Katie asked.

"Kuro, a Fuso dragon… A fully sentient familiar…"

One could hear the wind rustling in the branches of the snow covered pines on the eastern and western side of the airfield, such was the sudden silence that came upon them.

* * *

 **Small AN time!**

 **Ayaya! - Kiniro Mosaic anyone? And no, Aya didn't get her name after that Aya, contrary to Shinobu, but rather after Aya Brea**

 **Kuro – those who read the Chosen One series can already guess what kind of familiar he is**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	6. Chapter 6 – Painful past

Chapter 6 – Painful past

* * *

 _"_ _Why… Why did they send that weapon here… Why now… I almost had my fears under control… Why did they make me remember…"_ Aya whimpered in her mind.

 _"_ _Mistress, please, calm down,"_ a deep but compassionate voice said.

 _"_ _Kuro… You are the last hope for me… Why don't you just erase that memory? Why do I have to suffer?"_

 _"_ _I already told you a hundred times, Mistress, and I will repeat in another time – memories are bound in clusters. If I touch one, I can damage a whole memory cluster, and it might as well spread and make you a vegetable… Do you know what memories surround the one you wish to eliminate?"_

 _"_ _Which?"_

 _"_ _You're your knowledge about your dear friend Elsa, kindergarten, and some other memories that I believe you treasure, Mistress Aya."_

 _"_ _You never told me…"_

 _"_ _When it's needed, I have to reveal some crucial information… Please calm down and return to your new and old friends…"_

 _"_ _I don't wanna! No! I want to spend the rest of my life under this blanket!"_

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Taxiway**

"What do we do know?" Ellie asked Angela.

"Hmmm… I have an idea, but I will need some of you to cooperate."

"Name your price."

"I need you, ma'am, the Major and… what was your name again?" Angela asked the katana armed Fusojin.

"Shinobu Sakamoto."

"Ah, yes, pardon… I will also need you and… Sieglinde?"

"If I have to…"

"You have to. You know how dangerous it is to approach Aya when she had a panic attack because of THAT memory?"

"Yeah… Okay, I'll go. I just hope she got her meds in the bag…"

"She has them, I packed the flask personally."

"So, what's the plan?" Ellie asked.

"The four I enumerated should go and calm down Aya. If you can do it, try to entice her to confess what the underlying cause for her behavior is. The rest should unload the cargo that is lying here. Elsa has Type A Strength Magic, so she should be a nice help."

"Oh, I have Type B!" Nami cheered. "I can also help!"

"Then it's settled. The four of us go as a _rescue_ crew, and the rest get the stuff into the hangar. Three of you that will stay back already know where the hangar is so… hop to it!"

"Roger!" the girls responded.

"Where can the troublesome Lieutenant be now?" Ellie asked.

"Please wait a second," Angela said and her animal ears popped up. "She's in the bedroom, probably hiding under a blanket."

"Okay, then that's our destination," Ellie said. "You will be coordinating the cargo moving procedures, Lieutenant."

"Yes, ma'am." Angela answered.

* * *

The four slowly trotted to the main building.

"So, can you tell us what this is about?" Ellie asked Sieglinde.

"I believe Angela already told that we can't divulge the information. Aya has to say it herself."

"Ah, pardon, I forgot."

"And what about the meds your comrade talked about?"

"Aya has an emergency anti-anxiety kit. It's a red colored hipflask filled with rectified spirit. There is a small compartment in its bottom. Inside of it are pills containing 1000 milligrams of diazepam and 1000 milligrams of phenobarbital. Both are powerful anti-anxiety drugs, but both combined with each other and with such strong alcohol deliver a shock treatment. Aya basically soothes down to the level of a sleeping kitten immediately. She opens up, but has the mobility and looks of a zombie then."

"Rectified spirit? Even most Soviets drink it diluted…" Katie said with an uneasy expression.

"Aya doesn't mind the taste," Sieglinde said with a smirk.

"Pardon, but is this about what happened to her in 4th grade?" Shinobu asked.

"You know about that? Props…" Sieglinde said. "No, that happened later."

"Ah, okay."

"What happened to that poor girl to react so heavily…?" Ellie pondered.

"You will hopefully find out soon, ma'am," Sieglinde said. "But let me lay down some ground rules on how we're going to handle her, okay?"

"By all means."

"You don't touch her, unless she explicitly allows it. You don't even get near her unless she allows it. You talk to her slowly and with a friendly voice. Although she's probably under the blanket, thanks to her familiar she has a rather good orientation what happens around her. And for the love of God don't try to pry answers out of her in this matter."

"You're certainly knowledgeable in these matters…" Katie murmured.

"I am one of her best friend after all. She is almost like a sister to me… well, more of a close cousin to be honest, since I tried to molest her a bit but… You know what I want to say!"

"We, I mean Nami and me also got closely knit during that semester we spent together. Aya really took interest in Fuso culture, and always wanted to visit my homeland," Shinobu said.

"She told us something about two girls from Fuso she's friends with but couldn't visit… That must be the two of you."

"Most likely."

"Pardon my rudeness, but I want to review you two later on. I want to be sure that Aya has… proper friends."

"If you wish… But I can assure you Aya likes us almost or in the same way as she likes you and your compatriots."

"I'll be the judge of that. I have to get you on track with her psychological condition if you want it to remain that way."

"Girls, girls… Calm down a bit, no need to stare daggers at each other…" Ellie calmed them down. "Let's first take care of the current situation."

"Yes ma'am…" Both mumbled.

* * *

They finally entered the building and stood before the bedroom door.

"You first," Katie said to Sieglinde.

"I intended to."

Sieglinde opened the door. The room was sunlit, and she could see that all the six of the beds had already been taken. She spotted Aya immediately. An irregular shape, shaking under the standard issue Soviet Army green wooly blanket.

"Aya?" Sieglinde asked carefully while still in the doorway.

The shape stopped shaking.

"Sigi?" Aya asked with the voice of a scared five year old. "Is that you?"

"It's me, Aya."

"Are you alone?"

"I know that you can determine that on you own, Aya…"

"Kuro threw a fit…"

"Ah… Well, our superiors and your sword loving friend from Fuso are behind me."

"Shino?"

"Yes, her. They're all concerned about what happened."

"I'm sorry…"

"Can they come in?"

"Yes…"

Sieglinde waved the three in.

"Aya, can we approach you?" the Karlslander asked.

"How close?"

"One bed apart."

"Okay…"

All of them slowly moved closer.

"Aya, I'll move in closer to your bag, okay?"

"Okay…"

Sieglinde moved to Aya's bag, which was stuffed under her bed. She pulled it out, opened the zipper, and picked out a certain red hipflask.

"Aya, you know what I just pulled out, right?"

"My pills?"

"Yes."

"You want me to tell Shino and Miss Ellie and Katie why I ran away?"

"Yes, Aya. They have to know. Could you perhaps manage without the pills?"

"No… Just thinking about it makes me cry…"

"Okay, Aya. I will slide the flask under your blanket right now, all right?"

"Sure…"

Sieglinde uncovered the blanket only to create a little hole. Suddenly, Aya's hand shout out of it.

"Please… Give me… I feel like I'll have an attack again…" Aya said while probably gritting her teeth together.

Sieglinde quickly placed the flask on Aya's hand, and it shot back inside her protective cocoon.

Everyone could hear the frantic sound of a metal cork being unscrewed, a popping sound, a rattling sound, and then a glug. Then the sounds repeated themselves, only in the reverse directions, sans the glugging.

After a minute, Sieglinde asked, "Is it okay to take off the blanket now, Aya?"

"Yes…" she replied with a totally lifeless voice.

Sieglinde slowly pulled the blanket off Aya. Her eyes red from all the crying she had done in the past few minutes. Her cheeks were also red, but that was the spirit working its job. She started blankly before herself, with an expressionless face.

"Come here, Fusojin," Sieglinde whispered and waved in Shinobu.

Shinobu slowly walked to Aya's bed, and positioned herself on Aya's left side.

"Hi, Aya."

"Oh, Shinobu… I suppose you need to get in sync with news regarding me, right?"

"It would be appreciated."

"Okay… Miss Ellie, Miss Katie… Please, everyone, sit around me on the bed…"

Everyone did as Aya told them, with Shinobu on the left, Sieglinde on the right, Ellie front-left and Katie front-right.

"After I tell you this, you can pass it on to the rest… I suppose there is no sense in keeping this secret… It all started…"

 **Wunstorf Air Base, Bundesrepublik Karlsland**

 **Firing grounds, 1 kilometer north to the main base**

 **1st November 1982**

"I'm still amazed that you've designed this weapon, Simone!" Aya cheered at a blonde girl in a lab coat, wielding a futuristic looking cannon before a shooting range.

"Hah! You can be proud of your cousin, Aya! This is a weapon that will revolutionize witch warfare!" Simone boasted.

"And it's nice of you that you've chosen my home units base as the place for the live fire exercise, heehee… That way Sigi, Elsa and Angela can watch too!" Aya cheered and waved her hand at the three standing behind a wall of sandbags.

"That was my purpose! I want as many people to see this wonder of Karlslander science!"

"Fahnrich Simone Pfeifer, please proceed with the testing procedure," a man said through a megaphone. "Everyone beside said person and Fahnrich Edelweiss, please remove yourselves from the shooting range."

"Why so serious?" Aya asked.

"You know prototypes…" Simone sighed. "Take a few steps to the side, okay?"

"Kay."

Aya walked three meters to the right side of Simone. Simone started flipping some switches, and soon an electric hum was heard from the cannon. She started aiming through the inbuilt sights of the cannon at a Panzer IV wreck, about six hundred meters down the range.

The magazine of the cannon was see through and protruding from the top of the cannon. Simone pressed a button, and one of the tungsten rods inside dropped down. The two electromagnetic rails that were the _barrel_ of the cannon started glowing.

"You will now witness history, dear cousin!" Simone shouted proudly and pressed trigger.

/-/

A sudden explosion flung the cannon off above and past Aya. Aya covered her face with her right arm, but the blast made her lose her hearing. Simone's head was now enveloped in a cloud of grey-bluish smoke. Suddenly, Simone fell on her knees, still dragging some of the smoke with her. Then she fell on the ground. Aya's eyes widened in terror as she ran up to her beloved cousin. Her head was blown clear off just above the lower jaw. What was left was the lower jaw itself with a few teeth missing, and the gaping hole of Simone's throat. Blood was spurting frantically from the maimed body part.

Aya, still only hearing tinnitus, kneeled beside Simone, and she started saying, "Hey… Simone… What's the matter? Are you okay? Simone… Simone…"

Aya started her healing magic.

"This is just a flesh wound, Simone… You will be okay… You…" Aya's vision blurred as tears started gushing from her eyes. "You… You…"

Aya stopped healing her, grabbed her lifeless body, and tucked into her voluminous chest.

"SImooooooooneeeeeeee! Nooooooooooooo! You caaan't dieeeee!" she wailed sorrowfully. "Simooooooooneeeee!"

Suddenly a hand grabbed Aya's shoulder. She was mad at whoever interrupted this tragic moment, but as she turned around her head, she saw Elsa looking at her with her brown eyes, with Sieglinde and Angela right behind her.

"Aya… You can't do anything… Simone is…"

"I refuse… I refuse to acknowledge this! Simone… Simone is…"

"Dead," Sieglinde said with a cold voice. "I'm sorry for being so realistic, but that's how the situation stands. And now you can either scream your lungs out alone, or you can go with us, get hugged and you can cry out everything while being stroked on the head."

Aya was silenced immediately. She let go of Simone's corpse and followed the girls. They passed the medics running to Simone, with Aya tucked into Sieglinde's side, crying her eyes out.

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Bedroom**

"…the investigation later proved that a capacitor array has exploded. The part was made by Robert Bosch GmbH, especially for this cannon… Simone's family got a large sum of money to shut up… Every trace of the incident was removed…" Aya said in a monotone voice.

She then slowly pulled out something from under her pillow.

"This is the one of few things that remind me of Simone… She was a prodigy, even smarter than I was, but she slept with a stuffed animal… See this dog tag sewn to the front of it? That's Simone's… You can even see a few marks the explosion made…

Aya placed the toy by her side. The girls were looking at her with grim faces.

"Aya… Can I hug you?" Shinobu broke the silence.

"I don't care..."

Shinobu hesitantly embraced Aya. The latter still looked in front of her with a deadpan face.

"I didn't know that you had to suffer so much…" Shinobu whispered. "You have my condolences, Aya…"

"Thank you… But… I want to sleep now… My pills are starting to take their toll…"

"Sure, sure…"

"It won't be a bother, right?" Aya asked while looking at Ellie.

"No, no…" Ellie answered as if she was suddenly woken up. "Take a nap…"

"Thank you…" Aya said while lying down. "Sigi, can you cover me with the blanket?"

"Sure, Aya…" Sieglinde said with a compassionate voice and covered Aya. "There you go, Sweetie."

"Thank you, Sigi…" Aya said with a sleepy voice.

She embraced the teddy bear and closed her eyes.

Sieglinde slowly stood up and pointed out the exit with a hand sign. They all went out and closed the door behind them.

"My God…" Ellie said quietly. "To see your cousin get her head blown off from just a few meters…"

"The aftermath of this incident was that she returned to being a recluse afraid of strangers the next day after. She had to be re-accustomed with everyone she knew in the base. The only ones that she wasn't clearly afraid were the three of us, that is Angela, Elsa, and me… But I guess it had a good side to it…"

"What possible good could such a tragedy cause?!" Katie shouted.

"If you would see her in her first battle, only a week after the incident… Lieber Gott im Himmel… She ripped apart fifty I-1, and seventy D-3 Neuroi in one go. She was like the daughter of Death and Freya…"

Katie made a sturgeon face and mumbled, "Not bad…"

"I have one request, ma'am," Sieglinde said to towards Ellie.

"What is it?"

"Hide the EMK so deep that even you won't find it."

"The cannon, right?"

"Yes, please."

"I will. I fully understand your concerns."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Let's go to the rest of the girls, they need help with the stuff."

Ellie and Katie walked forward. Sieglinde looked fiercely at Shinobu, receiving the same treatment in return. Sieglinde suddenly smiled and said, "I suppose you're a good friend to Aya after all. I won't bother you, but please mind her condition."

"I will… Sigi…" Shinobu chuckled.

"Hey! Only Aya can call me by that pet name! It's Sieglinde to you!" Sieglinde yelled so loud that the dust came off the wall nearby.

"Okay, Sieglinde…" Shinobu extended her hand. "Truce?"

"Truce," Sieglinde said and shook Shinobu's hand. "Our grandmothers got along somewhat well, why can't we, huh?"

"Heh… Yeah…"

"By the way – do you have to carry those toothpicks with you all the time? Leave them be…'

"Don't you call them toothpicks, heathen! I just feel safer with them on my back…" Shinobu pouted. "Especially with that polar bear of mechanic running around the base…"

"Hahaha! That guy? He looks tough, but I bet I could smack him silly!"

"Did you call?" Kola suddenly peeked from around the corner.

"WAAAAAAGH!" both Shinobu and Sieglinde screamed surprised.

"I didn't mean anything, honestly!" Sieglinde tried to apologize.

"Me neither! I like polar bears! They're kawa… I mean cute!" Shinobu cowered.

Kola sighed and said, "If you want to spar that badly, we can do it sometime. Now go, the commanders are looking at you as if they want to strangle you both with your shoelaces."

The two turned around a bit rigidly and saw that Ellie and Katie indeed were looking at them a bit irritated.

"We're coming!" Shinobu shouted and the two ran towards their superiors.

* * *

 **Strength Magic - a quick reminder: Type A is about buffing the user, and Type B is about target weight reduction**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	7. Chapter 7 – Tools of trade

Chapter 7 – Tools of trade

* * *

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Hangar**

"I wonder if they're okay…" Elsa said with a concerned voice while pushing a Launch Unit into place.

"Both Aya and Kuro have their mind; they won't go berserk or something… A little bit to the left," Angela answered calmly while guiding her friend. "Okay, we're there. Liberion, you can do the electrics."

"I told you I'm Elwyn for fucks sake!" the Liberian shouted. "Jesus Christ Almighty you Karlslanders are slow to open up…"

"We barely know each other. You want me to fingerbang you on our first meet or what?" Angela asked with a smirk.

"Pffff…" Elwyn puffed her cheeks and went on to attach the sturdy three-phase power cord to the Launch Unit. "By the way, Stuck Up, whose Striker is it? Never saw one like that…" Elwyn asked while looking at the dark purple pearlescent coated Striker.

"It's Aya's. But you'll only get more data if our commander clears me to divulge it."

"Well, whatever… There, plugged in. Last one."

"We sure did this fast… I was thinking we'd be unloading till dinner…" Elsa said.

"Thanks to you and that Fusojin, it was nothing. Who would've thought that you two would load and unload all those pallets in twenty minutes?"

"I was doing my best!" Nami suddenly butted in cheerfully.

"Wah, you scared me!" Elsa shouted. "Our higher ups should be here any minute, so let's arrange the rest of the stuff."

"We're here already," a voice came from the side of the hangar.

The four besides and on Aya's Launch Unit looked at the source of the voice, and saw the _rescue team_ standing in the opened door on the hangar side. The last one, which was Sieglinde, closed the door.

"I'm impressed everyone, really," Ellie said aloud. "We went to the taxiway, but we only saw tracks in the miniscule snow blanket covering it."

"It was Elsa and uh… Nami that did most of the work," Angela said.

"I see, I see… Well, you both have Super Strength magic, just different types of it. Are all the Launch Units operational?"

"Yes ma'am. I personally saw to it!" Elwyn said proudly.

"Weapons stowed?"

"No, we didn't get so far. But as you can see, the rest of us isn't aren't lollygagging," Angela pointed out to Tatiana, Aina, Giulietta, Elizabeth and Marie bustling a bit farther down the hangar. "Well, except for Aina…" she sighed as she saw Aina in slumberland.

"Why is she actually sleeping?" Katie asked.

"From what we could pull out of her before she fell asleep AGAIN, she's narcoleptic and also suffers from cataplexy."

"Wuzzat?" Katie tilted her head.

"That means she has weird sleep patterns to begin with, and that her muscles can suddenly fail her. Both combined can mean that she can suddenly slump on the floor like a bag of bricks at any given time."

"That is… rather weird…" Katie said. "And she's in the army?"

"It seems that adrenaline stops the strokes from happening, so during combat she's one hundred percent ready. And out of combat… as on the attached picture…"

"You certainly are knowledgeable, Lieutenant," Ellie said in a praising tone. "Does it have to do with Aya?"

"Yes ma'am…" Angela blushed. "I have studied many medical books, and I stumbled upon a few rare neurological diseases… Oh shit, uh pardon, what about Aya?!"

"Yes, what about her?" Elsa asked excited.

"She's asleep after taking her meds now," Sieglinde said. "It seems we were in luck because, to quote her, "Kuro threw a fit." She also told our dear superiors and Shinobu here about what happened on October 1st…"

"Ah, I see… Well, it turned out better than expected…"

"Why the gloomy face?" Ellie asked. "I know! Let's make an equipment presentation! Everyone!" Ellie shouted. "Prepare your usual loadouts and place your special weapons aside of the Launch Units! We'll be doing a little inspection!"

"But what about Aya then?" Angela asked.

"You can give her a presentation of your own, Lieutenant," Katie said. "I'm sure you'll remember every detail. Ah, before I forget – hide the crate with that experimental cannon so deep that even God with his omniscience will have trouble finding it."

"Roger," Angela said.

"Oh, and I'm sure you all have pistols. As you are now all either commissioned or non-commissioned officers, you can carry your sidearms outside of battle," Katie nodded her head a few times.

"I'd rather see you with them all the time," Ellie added. "An theoretically useless pistol can prove a lifesaver in combat, and some of you look like they could forget theirs…"

* * *

Everyone started running around and loading their gear onto the Launch Units. Elsa and Nami were hauling quite big boxes on their own, garnering the curious gazes of everyone. After everything was finished, everyone stood in a group, akin to a tour group.

"I will start with my equipment," Ellie said and pointed out at her white painted Striker with a red star on it. "This is my Striker, the T10S, the final stage prototype of the what I believe will be named the Su-27."

She opened the gun stowage of the Launch Unit and pulled out an enormous machine gun with a peculiar optical sight.

"This is the NSVS _Utyos_ heavy machine gun. As you can see, it has a nice optical sight, which can be folded by the way. Normally the ammo belts are 50 bullets, but we, that Katie and I, use one hundred bullet belts. We use special _BS_ ammo, containing a tungsten carbide core with incendiary capabilities."

Ellie stowed the gun back and pulled out another one.

"This is another weapon Katie and I use together. An AKS-74. Since the stock can be folded, it's a rather good secondary weapon. We petitioned for 7N6 steel penetrator ammo, and here it is, haha!"

Ellie laughed and showed a mag to everyone. The bullets had red rings around the cartridge necks. Afterwards, she stowed this weapon away, and pulled out a pistol out of her holster.

"Now this is my trusty Stechkin automatic pistol or APS for short. It looks old, but it still packs a punch! And it can fire in full auto mode, which I can perfectly control with my magic, heheh…"

"And that would be what?" Elwyn asked.

"Good question. From what I've read, our Britannian friend here has Ballistic Stabilization as her inherent magic, right?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"My magic is Ballistic Modification. I can modify the ballistic parameters of a weapon on the fly. I can slow down the bullets or speed them up. I can also lower the recoil to nil, so I could basically fire a whole mag from my APS in a five by five target from fifty meters."

"Impressive…" Elizabeth gasped.

"But you have one advantage over me – I can't alter the trajectory of the bullets, which is your domain."

"Yes ma'am, that's true," Elizabeth said with a small smile.

Tatiana suddenly raised her hand.

"What is it?" Ellie asked.

"Tovarishch Podpolkovnik, are you the one they call _The White Death_?"

"And on what base do you forward such accusations?" Ellie asked with a smile.

"White Striker, big gun, gun related magic and your hair, ma'am."

"Not the most rigid of arguments but… Yes… The one they call _Belaya Smert'_ is indeed me."

"Wooow… I'm in one unit with such a famous witch…" Tatiana gasped.

 _"_ _Such a formidable opponent... Now this could be interesting…" she thought._

"Now, now… Don't be so giddy about me, Lieutenant. Outside of the battlefield I'm just me."

"I understand."

"Katie, your turn," Ellie said.

"Okay! Turn your heads a bit to the right, this is my Striker," Katie said and pointed out the gray painted machine. "The MiG-31! A true murdering machine! Ellie spoiled the rest of the equipment I use, but here…"

She unholstered her pistol and waved it around.

"The PSM, small and compact, nothing more to say. Hmmm… Girls, how did you organize the Launch Units?"

"By countries, starting with Lehistan, as you're our superior officers, and then the one Orussia, since well, she's a night witch and she's from our host country."

"Not bad. Okay then… Tatiana I believe it was? Care to say something about your Striker and equipment?"

"Da, Tovarishch Major," Tatiana said and went before her Launch Unit with a dark gray Striker in it. "This is the MiG-29A. You might wonder what these small dishes are?" she pointed at small dishes, one on each Striker Leg. "They enhance my inherent magic capabilities by about sixty percent. Before you ask, they are the same as my grandmothers."

Tatiana leaned over to the Launch Unit, and she pulled out and enormous, six barreled rocket launcher.

"This is something the GRAU developed just last year – the 9K39 _копье_ multipurpose, multiple launch missile launcher. It fires the same missiles as the _Igla_ , but it can launch all six of them in one barrage, be it six targets independently or one chosen one. It's really a cackle of history, because the Fliegerhammer of my grandmother was similar to this… Heh…"

"Looks heavy," Elwyn said.

"Then come and have a go, Liberion. Don't worry, it's unloaded for now."

"Well okay… Commie…"

Elwyn approached and took the launcher from Tatiana.

"Whoo, it really is light… But I bet the rockets weigh their thing, huh?"

"Let's see if you're up to it," Tatiana said with a smile and reached behind the Launch Unit.

She pulled out a canister with six warheads protruding from its front.

"Let me serve you…" she said, and attached the canister to the rear of the launcher.

"Hmmmm… It IS a bit heavy but… not something dramatic… You commies sure know how to build stuff sometimes, I have to admit…" Elwyn said and gave the launcher back to Tatiana.

She stowed it away, and pulled out a rifle with a long, cylindrical attachment on the barrel.

"This is the AKS-74UB. I have a suppressor mounted, since it removes the muzzle flash. I sometimes use NVG's, so that would be a bother. And I also use 7N6 bullets, heheh…"

"Snap…" Ellie mumbled.

After stowing the rifle away, she pulled out a pistol out of the holster.

"This is the Tokarev of my Grandma…" Tatiana said with a soft and melancholic voice. "But I'm not using it only because of its sentimental value, oh no. It has so much punch for a pistol that it's almost as good as that AK."

She holstered the pistol and said, "Eto vse, comrades. Who's next?"

"Aya should be next but… she's sleeping off…" Angela said.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Tatiana asked.

"I'm not sure if I can…"

"You can, Angela," Sieglinde said. "She cleared us."

"Ah, okay… Then I SHOULD do it. Listen up everybody…"

* * *

Angela started explaining the event of November the 1st in details. The girls were shocked that something like that could happen. Nami's face was like a waterfall of tears.

"Oh poor Ayaya… Now wonder she reacted so violently…" Nami sobbed.

"There, there…" Shinobu patted her on the back. "She's doing fine now."

"Maybe we should proceed?" Angela asked.

"Yes, please," Ellie said.

"This is Aya's Striker – the XF-168, codename _Lilie_. An experimental Striker from the Karlander Vereinte Kampfflugzeugbauer Union. The speed and maneuverability are mind-blowing but… only Aya can control its power, just because of her familiar helping her."

"So it's basically custom made?" Marie asked.

"You could say so, Marie. Now, as for the weaponry, she uses an MG3 H1 fed with M61 AP ammunition and with a reflex sight added," she said and pulled out the MG out. "It's funny that it looks like the Kaisers Buzzsaw from the Second Neuroi War…" she said and put it back.

After that, she unholstered her pistol and said, "A Sig Sauer P220 in .45 ACP, nothing fancy.

"Don't you use some intermediary backup?" Shinobu asked.

"No."

"Okay, whatever…"

"Anyway, Aya also uses heavy weaponry, but we'll get to that while Elsa will present her stuff. Now, coming to my Striker…" Angela took a few steps and pointed at the light gray Striker. "The Panavia Tornado GR1B-R _Laterne_. It has modifications like our _comrade_ here, but these serve my personal magic type. But they only improve it by about 20%, so I'm envious…" she pouted towards Tatiana. "Sieglinde? You perhaps?"

"Sure, why not…" she approached her Launch Unit and said, "The Panavia Tornado GR1B-S _Löwenzahn_. Mine was modded to provide temporal shield amplification, as it was written in the manual. Basically, my shields get buffed for a few seconds until the damn module overheats. Thus, I only use it to get close and smack the Neuroi with a good old Sturm! Elsa, you're next."

"Woo! Okay, so this is the Panavia Tornado GR1B-K _Titan_. It sacrifices some mobility and speed, but the weight it can carry is increased by a few hundred percent, thus enabling me to carry…"

Elsa paused and she went behind the Launch Unit. A crate was opened, and in a while, Elsa returned with a big tank on her back, and an enormous, multi-barreled gun in her hands.

"…this little puppy, the M61A1 Vulcan!"

"I knew the Karlslanders like to show off but… damn…" Elwyn gasped.

"Heh, that's not all!" Elsa shouted and ran back behind the Launch Unit. Another crate was opened, and this time, Elsa returned with an enormous cannon, hailing an almost 5.3 meter barrel.

"My pride, the Rheinmetall 120 mm L/44! Ripped straight off a Leopard 2 tank!"

"Wooooah! Even my gun is small compared to this!" Nami shouted. "I want!"

"Maybe one day I'll give you a go, Nami, but not today."

"Awww…" the Fusojin sulked.

"How do you even load that monster?" Tatiana asked.

"Two piece APDS ammunition in special containers. I can attach two on the sides of the cannon, one above, and I can take three on my back on a special harness, so this is a situational weapon. I know that Aya's grandpa was flying around with tank cannons back in his days, but the ammo he had was one piece, and he was a bit bigger himself... By the way, Tatiana?"

"Yes?"

"How many canisters can you take?"

"Two and my rifle, or three but the rifle stays home."

"Ah, okay. Thanks for the info."

"No problem…" Tatiana answered with a bored voice.

Elsa placed the cannon back in the rear, and after returning she asked, "So, the Fusojin are next?"

"Then I'll take my turn," Shinobu said and stepped before her slightly bluish Striker. "The Mitsubishi F-15F. Not much to say to be honest so…" she pulled out a bulky MG. "The M2 HB with a reflex sight, belt fed, 100 API bullets per belt.

Shinobu stored the gun and patted the holster at her belt.

"I have a P220, just like the Karlslanders and Nami, but I prefer my swords as backup."

Saying that, Shinobu unsheathed the katana with the bronze colored hilt.

"This is Masakuni, my dear Grandma's sword."

"You call that toothpick a sword? Pff… You know that…" Sieglinde mocked her.

"Sssh…" Angela shushed her.

"Oh, right…"

"You call my Masakuni a toothpick?! Put 'em up!"

"Children, no fighting…" Ellie sighed.

The two nodded, and Shinobu sheathed her sword back.

"You won't show us the second sword?" Ellie asked.

"No. That one is… special…"

"Whatever goes…"

"Okay, Nami, you're up."

"Yay!" Nami cheered and shot forward. "I use the same guns as Shinobu, but I use the M2 as a backup to… heheh… Get ready, Elsa."

Nami disappeared behind the Launch Unit and came out with a long autocannon in her hands, attached with a steel belt to a rectangular backpack.

"The BK-27!"

"Woah! I wanted such a cannon, but they denied it for me!" Elsa shouted.

"Heheh… It seems they were concerned about the ammo cost, heehee… Well anyway, that's not all!"

"More?! Are you kidding me?!"

"I kid you not!"

Nami rushed back behind the Launch Unit, and returned with something that made everyone's jaw drop as much as Elsa's cannon – another cannon, with an even longer, almost six meter barrel.

"The Royal Ordnance L7A3! 105 millimeters of death! Since the round is smaller, I can lug around five containers attached to the cannon and four to my back, heehee…"

"Waaaaaaant!" Elsa shouted all excited.

"Give me a go at your cannon; I'll give you a go at mine, heheh…"

"Deal!"

"We don't have time for this…" Katie muttered. "On with the presentation, you can play with your toys later..."

"Yes ma'am…" both Elsa and Nami mumbled.

"Oh, oh! Is it my time now?!" Elwyn raised her hand and started jumping up in place.

"If that's your Striker..." Katie said.

Elwyn jumped forward and presented her sand gray Striker.

"This is the F-15C! I tuned the microcomputer inside to give me more juice and better stability, heehee… Aaaaand…" she pulled out an MG. "This is my M60E2, which an… acquaintance of mine modified by re-adding the grip and stock. It shoots like a charm, since I care about it, and give it only quality AP ammo, heheh… But I won't show you my pistol, it's damn embarrassing…"

"Oh come on, show us," Katie enticed her.

Elwyn murmured something and unholstered her gun. It was a silver Colt 1911, with _Elwyn_ written in a flamboyant manner on the slide. She quickly hid the gun after two seconds.

"Family tradition…" she mumbled.

"As long as it shoots, it's fine by me…" Sieglinde said with an indifferent expression. "At least it's not pink."

"Are you perhaps implying something?" Tatiana asked with her eyebrow raised.

"Your uniform is okay, _comrade_. Pink camouflage is weird, but it's regulatory Soviet Army camo for all I know…"

"Ah, okay…" Tatiana said with relief.

"I guess I'm up next," Aina said suddenly.

"Woah, she speaks!" Sieglinde shouted surprised.

"I'm sorry for being so taciturn, but… it's in my nature as someone from Suomus…"

"Oh well, at least give a good presentation."

"I will, thank you for the encouragement," she said politely and went to her dirty white Striker. "This is a Su-25. It's a bit aged, but it works."

She pulled out an MG out of the Launch Unit.

"This is my PKMSN with a custom flash suppressor and a standard NSPU side-mounted night-vision scope. I use 250 7BZ-3 API round belts, loaded into metal boxes. The flash suppressor was actually custom made for me so I could attend to night missions, since my narcolepsy gives me irregular activity cycles. And the scope is foldable by the way… What else… Ah, the next gun."

She hid the MG and pulled out a rifle.

"This is a Suomus made Valmet M78, also equipped with a flash suppressor and NSPU scope, but instead of using the standard banana mags, I use RPK drum mags, housing 75 57-N-231 rounds. The next weapon I'll present is… specific…"

Aina hid the rifle, and pulled out an enormous revolver.

"With this one, the Neuroi should ask themselves "Do I feel lucky?""

"Dirty Harry!" Elwyn shouted.

"Heehee…" Aina giggled with her cheeks red. "Yes, I'm a great fan of the movie, so I got this Smith & Wesson Model 29-2. It's reaaaaally effective on D-type Neuroi, and I-1's… Not to mention everyone makes eyes like saucers when they see such a big gun in my hands, heehee…"

Katie covertly pulled out her PSM; she looked at it, sighed, and put it back into the holster.

"I'm next it seems," Marie said. "This is my Dassault Mirage 2000, I really like the dark blue color by the way, and this is my FAMAS. I'm not fond of all these high caliber rifles, but I use SS109 rounds to compensate a bit… Just like Granny, heehee…"

She put away the rifle and pulled out a pistol, "And this is my MAC-50. Next person please."

"That was fast…" Katie mumbled.

"I'm not a military buff, ma'am," Marie explained.

"Me!" Giulietta raised her hand, and everyone shuddered. "Jeez, people, relax…"

She stood in front of her Launch Unit and started explaining. "This is my Panavia Tornado GR1B-V _Astra_ with standard beige paint. It's modified so I can use a quick burst of speed to employ my Sun Strike better! I use the same MG as the Fusojins, but I have a different pistol…"

She pulled out a pistol out of the holster, "A Beretta 92! The national pride of Romagna, heehee… Okay, next one," she said with her tongue stuck out slightly.

"Last but not least, huh, Lily?" Katie asked with a smile.

"Yes ma'am… uh, I mean, cousin."

"I almost wanted to scold you, heh…"

Elizabeth approached her pale green Striker mounted in the Launch Unit.

"This is my Sea Harrier FRS.1. Normal Harriers have VTOL capability, but the Striker version has something different. It uses side-mounted nozzles to redirect thrust from the main ones, so I can do violent side jumps. It's important, because I'm a sniper, and an immobile sniper is a sitting duck."

Elizabeth took out an enormous sniper rifle from the weapon stowage.

"This is the Barrett M82. I'm using .50 BMG RAUFOSS high-explosive incendiary rounds to give the Neuroi what they gave us – a fiery hell."

"Never saw one like that," Sieglinde said.

"It's a brand new construction. The Britannian Army is trialing it now. And it's also trialing this."

Elizabeth pulled out a blocky black pistol out of her holster.

"Ah, I heard of this one. Manufacturers in Ostmark finished this one in Karlsland," Sieglinde nodded.

"Correct. This is the Glock 17 – the _plastic gun_."

"Plastic gun?" Marie asked.

"It's mostly made of composites," Elizabeth explained.

"Ah, okay, now I understand. It does look like it's not metal when I take a closer look…"

"And that concludes our presentations. Phew, that was long…" Ellie said. "Now, everyone, let's take a tour around the main building. Those who had it can got to the gym or something."

"Roger!" Everyone answered.

"Hey, Shino, where's Ayaya?" Nami whispered.

"In the bedroom. Why do you ask?"

"I want to go to her."

"How nice of you… Just don't bother her, okay?"

"Kay," Nami smiled warmly.

* * *

 **F-15F - of course it's a F-15J, but you know, Fuso not Japan...**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	8. Chapter 8 – Wrapping up the day

Chapter 8 – Wrapping up the day

* * *

 _"_ _Uuuuh… My head hurts… What happened…"_

 _"_ _You used the_ shock treatment _, Mistress."_

 _"_ _Ah yes… Thank you, Kuro… I'm always a mess after that… But I had to do it, or else I would totally snap…"_

 _"_ _You don't have to apologize or explain to me, Mistress. You have told me so much about your past, which nobody else ever knew, besides you. Another human would probably crumble with such a burden…"_

 _"_ _You mean I'm what? Resilient?"_

 _"_ _That's the word I had in mind, Mistress. Your mental condition may be weak, but your rock bottom is almost impossible to reach with your willpower."_

 _"_ _Heh… Thanks… Uh… Do you know the time?"_

 _"_ _1805 and the same day, Mistress."_

 _"_ _Oh… I've slept quite a bit… Time to move on, or I'll be booted from this unit faster than I arrived…"_

Aya opened her eyes, only to see darkness, shyly penetrated by moonlight.

 _It's winter after all…_

She slowly dragged herself off the bed, put on her shoes, and went to the door. Once she opened it, something touched her legs.

"Waaaaah!" she shouted and scrammed back inside, locking the door behind her.

"Ayaya! I'm sorry!" the familiar voice of Nami sounded from behind the door.

"Oh… Nami… That's only you… What are you doing outside the room?"

"Ah well… The commander told me to stake out for you and to haul you in to her office once you're fit for duty again…"

"Oh… Okay, I'm coming then…"

Aya opened the door once more and she saw Nami with a bright smile on her face.

"How long… did you wait?" Aya asked.

"Ah, only an hour, nothing to get worked up about…"

"But the floor is cold and…"

"Don't worry, Aya…" Nami said softly and patted her on the head. "Compared to the drills in the FSDF, it's a piece of cake. Now, come on, let's go to the commander."

"Umkay…"

Aya was lead before the office, and Nami knocked on the door.

"Enter," Ellie's voice sounded.

Aya gulped heavily and followed Nami inside. The latter saluted and said, "First Lieutenant Edelweiss delivered as ordered, ma'am!"

"Good job, Nami. Now you can leave us."

"Yes, ma'am. But please, don't bother Aya too much…"

"I won't, scoot," she smiled.

Nami exited the room and Eleanor said, "Well, Aya… How are you now?"

"My… My head is a bit woozy…"

"No wonder… After such a dose of drugs and high-power alcohol, some grown men would have it hard to stand straight… Do you know why I called you here?"

"Is… Is… Is it about… My outburst?"

"Pretty much yes, Aya."

"That will… never happen again ma'am…"

"I hope… The girls were a little… surprised to say at least. And you missed our gear presentation."

"I'm sorry…"

"I guess your reaction was right, given your background… Don't sweat it, Aya, I won't punish you or anything. And that weird cannon is hidden so deep that only three people know where it is."

"Thank… you…"

"I hope you'll open up a bit to everyone and get along with them. Now, dismissed.

"Yes ma'am," Aya saluted and went for the door.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?" Aya said while she was turning around.

"Catch!"

Led by instinct, Aya put her right hand before her. She caught a small brown package.

"Sandwiches?"

"Yes. You missed dinner, so this is an ersatz."

"Thank you…"

"Go now, Sweetie."

Aya exited the room and yet again, she saw Nami, this time with Shinobu at her side.

"How did it go, Aya?" Shinobu asked.

"Good… Good…" Aya said. "I got a proverbial slap on the wrist so to speak…"

"And something else it seems…" Nami looked carefully at the brown packaged in Aya's hands.

"Oh, this? The commander gave me sandwiches…" Aya blushed slightly. "I really don't know what to think…"

"It seems we have the _mother_ type of commander, but gods know what kind of mother…" Shinobu mumbled. "Eat up, Aya; I'll see if I can get some hot tea for you."

"Thanks, Shino…"

"Follow us to the dining hall; you need to get accustomed to the rest."

"Is… Is everyone else there?"

"Yeah, besides your Valkyrie friend, she's "pumping her guns" as she said. Ah, and your redhead compatriot is assisting her. Safety regulations and stuff like that."

Aya took a deep breath and said, "Okay, let's go…"

 **4 minutes earlier, dining hall**

Nami ran into the room and said, "Okay, she's been escorted to the commander."

"So why are we gathered here again?" Elwyn asked.

"We need to achieve a common front when interacting with Aya," Shinobu said. "According to the info I have gathered, she's still very timid, just like in middle school."

"And what do you want us to do EXACTLY?" Tatiana asked.

"I want us to go easy on her, not bother her about her little outburst earlier. She was already difficult to handle back on my student exchange program, but seeing what happened now, and after hearing this and that from her friends, I came to conclusion her state worsened. Of course, Nami and me, as her old friends have it easier, but you all as strangers will probably have a hard time winning her trust. So please, don't push her too much."

"I never thought a Sakamoto would be so damn reasonable and caring…" Elwyn smirked. "So to recap, we treat her like an egg with a cracked shell?"

"Pretty much yes."

"And what about me?" Katie asked from behind the kitchen counter.

"You can do whatever you like, vice-commander."

"Well thank you…" she answered with a caustic smile. "I'll go lecture Kola about it. I left the water boiling by the way."

Katie exited and the sleeping Aina suddenly woke up.

"What did I miss?"

"You're to be nice to Aya," Nami said with a smile.

"Oh, okay… She looks like a nice girl, but a bit lost…" she said and dozed off again.

"Now this is something I haven't seen…" Marie said.

"I guess narcolepsy is better than amnesia…" Elizabeth sighed.

"You really have amnesia?" Marie sighed.

"Yes… I didn't lie when I told everything to the vice-commander."

"I guess you'll get some leniency, since you're her cousin…" Elwyn mumbled.

"I disapprove of nepotism," Elizabeth replied with a stern face.

"But you should get closer to her…"

"I know, and it bugs me… Bloody hell… But she's a total blank in my mind… I can't associate even ONE memory with her…" she made a sour face. "Ouch…"

"Does it hurt?" Marie asked concerned.

"A bit… It always hurts if I try to remember something from the past… But let's drop the topic, I feel a bit uncomfortable about it… I wonder I there's some tea in the kitchen…"

"Oh, could you make some for us?" Elwyn asked.

"Sure… As a Brit, I'm a proper tea guzzler, heheh…"

Just as Elizabeth went to the kitchen, Nami said, "Okay, Shino, let's go and wait for Ayaya."

"Yeah."

 **Before the dining hall door**

Aya's hand hung in the air over the doorknob.

"Aren't you going in, Ayaya?" Nami asked.

"I'm a bit… anxious… What will the girls say? Will they hate me? Despise me? Be afraid of me?"

"You won't know unless you go in, right?"

"I… I suppose so…"

"And we're behind you, don't worry!" Shinobu shouted.

"Heheh… Thanks…"

Aya opened the door to the dining hall. She saw everyone gathered, except for the commander, vice-commander, Sieglinde, Angela, and Kola. An impulse told her to run away immediately, but she stood there frozen instead, like a deer like a deer in the headlights.

"Oh, Aya, come on!" Elsa cheered and showed her a spot between her and one of the new girls, who was now sleeping silently.

Moving slowly and rigidly, Aya say on the spot that Elsa pointed out.

"W-What's with her?" Aya whispered.

"She's… narcotic?" Elsa scratched her chin.

"Narcoleptic," Aina mumbled and straightened up slowly.

Aya quickly scooted behind Elsa.

"Oh, pardon for scaring you. You weren't there when I said it, so I'll say it again – I'm narcoleptic…"

"So… Y-You sleep at r-random times?" Aya asked in her usual shy way.

"Yes… Can I call you Aya?"

"Y-Yes, please..."

"Yes, I can doze off just like that at a totally random time; however, it has never occurred in battle. My doctors say it's because of the adrenalin."

"Ah… Interesting…"

"Are you interested in medicine, Aya?" Aina asked.

"Y-Yes… My grandmother's story you all probably know, and my mom was a surgeon, so I guess it's normal for me to have interest in such things…"

"Sooooooooo…" Giulietta said all of a sudden. "Why did you run away in such a… flamboyant way?"

"I… I…" Aya started stuttering and looking around nervously.

Elsa quickly hugged Aya and said, "Please, don't bother her about this yet."

"She sure is a peculiar case…" Tatiana said. "But I guess we all have our quirks. Right, my Liberian friend?"

"Can it, commie. I'm not your friend," Elwyn answered.

"And I thought I had some issues with people…" Shinobu mumbled.

"Okay, people, give Ayaya some time to eat her stuff. Lily! Tea please!" Nami shouted.

"You sure gave your friend a cute nickname," Marie said with a smile.

"Bah! It's because she was so cute back when we were on student exchange that your legs would melt under you!"

"Well, she is cute even now, heehee…"

Aya's face looked like a landing light right now, so Elsa said, "Okay, shush already, give Aya some breathing space…"

The girls went silent, and Elizabeth returned with tea.

"Please, for you," she said.

"Oh… T-Thanks…"

Elizabeth in turn smiled and sat on a free spot.

Aya ate, turned around to everyone, since she could not stand the people staring at her curiously. After she drank the tea, she asked Elsa, "Hey… Can you give me a tour around the hangar? I… I think I missed it…"

"We have to ask our commanders. It's dark outside already, and I doubt we can freely move around."

"Oh… Okay… Then... Uhm…"

"Yes, yes, let's go together."

"Okay!"

 **The gym**

"And five hundred!" Sieglinde yelled and hooked off her weigh on the rack

"You sure don't wait until things slow down, do you, Sieglinde?" Angela asked.

"As if you wouldn't know me… I have to keep fit to be able to perform my combat style optimally."

"Sure a damn shame you haven't inherited Strength Magic from somebody."

"I wouldn't have this glorious body that way!" she slammed herself on her washboard abs.

"Who knows… Okay, glorious body or not, you reek like a fucking penal company. Under the shower, now."

"When did you become my commander?"

Angela raised her eyebrow and looked at Sieglinde irritated.

"If that's the famous Wilcke Stare, it's damn effective… I'm going after for my bath supplies…"

"Good choice," Angela smiled.

 **Commander's office**

"Oh, hello again, Aya," Ellie said. "What now?"

"Umm… I would like to see the equipment that was delivered…"

"Ah, well, then go if you like. But I need to give you an escort, according to the regulations of this unit."

"And what would those be, ma'am?" Elsa asked.

"After dark, you can only leave the building with consent of me or Katie, and with either of us as escort."

"Sounds reasonable. So, will we be going now?"

"Sure, I've got nothing better to do anyway. Go prepare, and we'll be meeting at the main entrance."

"Yes ma'am!" the two shouted and ran away.

 **Mess hall**

 _"_ _My boob senses are tingling!"_

Giulietta stood up from her place and slowly went out of the room. She looked around the corridor, and quickly scurried to the bath. She heard that the shower was running, so she quietly sneaked over and peeked into the shower room. The athletic body of Sieglinde, like that of an amazon queen, was now being caressed by the steady stream of water coming from the shower.

 _"_ _My God… Such a body… And such tits!"_

Giulietta felt something warm under her nose, and she touched that spot with her hand.

 _"_ _Ah, crap, I'm bleeding… Well, this means that I'm gonna have some fun!"_

She started skulking towards her target, trying with all her might not to make more noise than the shower was making. Her hands shot towards the plump breasts of the showering Karlslander, but suddenly, she felt as her throat was being constricted.

"Not only a dyke, but also a Lucchini," Sieglinde said with a cold voice. "Maybe I should just kill you now and quickly dispose of your body… Yeah, I've received enough training to pull that off easily."

The face of the randy Romagnan has started to change colors, but she managed to say, "Un… cle…"

Her throat was released immediately and she fell on her knees, gasping for air.

"I swear to God, that the next time you'll try to grope me without consent, I'll smack you so hard you'll be seeing Cassiopeia from close up."

Giulietta coughed and said, "I thought you'd like a boob massage after workout…"

"Ugh… If your grandmother made such excuses, then the 501st must have looked like a bordello at times. No, thanks, my boobs are perfectly fine; I don't work out with them. In fact, I isolate them as much as possible from my exercise, so they won't shrink."

"Some nice effort into maintaining your boobs and you don't let me fondle them. Monster…"

"Prove me your worth in combat, and I'll give you my rack for fondling."

"Really?!"

"Yup. But before that, don't even think of it."

"You're sure easy to agree on such a simple condition… Where's the catch?"

"The catch is it might go further," Sieglinde said with a devilish smile.

"W-What do you mean? Are you…"

"No, I'm better than you. I'm bi!" Sieglinde said proudly.

"HO… LY… SHIT! And you didn't have to announce that?!"

"In the Bundeswehr, we don't give a flying fuck about bisexuals," she shrugged and kneeled before Giulietta, taking her chin in two fingers delicately. "Now, leave me be or I'll fondle YOUR boobs."

"Eeeek!" Giulietta shrieked and ran away.

 _"_ _Heheheh… I guess the Lucchini's don't like to play their own game… The nerve to creep up on me…"_

 **Before the hangar**

"Sure is dark…" Elsa said. "If not for that magic powered flashlight, we wouldn't see a damn thing!"

"Hey, watch your language. I don't give a damn, but Ellie is really sensitive about that," Katie said.

"Sure, sorry."

"Um, Major, why are the lamps not working?" Aya asked.

"Beats me. Kola said he'll look into it tomorrow."

"Oh, okay…"

"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?"

"N-No, I actually like it… I can hide easier…"

"Work with you will surely be something…" Katie sighed.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. I'm sure we'll adjust to you faster than you'll adjust to us. Now, in we go."

They finally arrived at the door and entered inside. Katie went to a control panel and started on the lights.

As they started getting brighter, Aya's eyes too were almost starting to glow.

"Wooooow… Such equipment! The best Strikers in the military!" she quickly ran up to the Launch Units. "An F-15F! And… woah, a BK 27 and L7! This must be Nami's!"

"Indeed…" Katie mumbled and turned to Elsa. "Is she always like this?"

"She kind of forgets herself when she sees cool tech…"

Aya got toured around by Elsa, who explained which Launch Unit belongs to who.

"Wow, what was fun!" Aya cheered. "I didn't knew we had such a machine park!"

"Okay, let's go back," Katie said. "It's damn cold."

"Sure, ma'am," Aya said. "Thank you for escorting us."

"The pleasure was on my side."

 **Dining hall**

 **2000 MSK**

After the girls ate their first supper as a whole unit, with Kola joining in, Ellie said, "Okay, girls, we need a night mission team. Am I right in my assumptions that Tatiana and Aina here are the ones that are the most suited?"

"Da," Tatiana answered.

"Yeah…" Aina mumbled while waking up.

"Then please, you will be doing night patrols from now on, is that okay with you?"

"Da," Tatiana said.

"Perfectly fine. I never fall asleep during night patrols."

"Then report to the hangar in an hour. Rest of you, dismissed to your rooms."

"Roger!" the girls responded.

"Have a good night, and remember to cover yourself, it can be very cold despite the heating," Ellie winked.

The girls went to the sleeping room and started doing various things. Some were making their beds, some were finishing unpacking.

Elwyn pulled out an enormous stack of comic books out of one of her bags.

"Oh, so many comic books!" Marie shouted. "Hey, can I read some?"

"Oh, a fellow enthusiast?"

"I'm a total amateur… Where I come from, it's hard to come by some of the good stuff… But you have LIBERIAN comic books! Weee!"

"Heheh…" Elwyn laughed dryly. "Okay, but only under my consent."

"Sure, sure!"

Elwyn pulled out a random issue and gave it to Marie.

"The Incredible Hulk… Hmmm… Sound interesting…" she said and laid down.

"Hey, won't mind if I take the top bunk?" Elwyn asked.

"No, go ahead!"

"Thanks, I always like to be on top."

"Eheheheh…" Giulietta snickered.

"Oh shut up, you perv!" Elwyn yelled.

"A perv will recognize one of their own kind…" Angela said with an alluring voice.

"I'm just well informed!"

"Stop it," Sieglinde said with a cold voice and Giulietta immediately hid under her blanket.

"Wow, how did that come into effect?" Angela asked.

"That perv wanted to feel me up while I was showering, so I _manually_ explained that that won't go."

"I hope you didn't do anything rash…"

"No, don't worry. But I guess the psychological effect will be lasting, hahahahahaha!" Sieglinde cackled.

"Scary…" Elizabeth mumbled.

"Right?" Nami said. "But I guess it's just how she is."

"You sure are tall, Nami…"

"That's really unexpected, since my grandma was 137.5 centimeters tall…"

"Right, I heard about her. Poor thing."

The talks continued until Katie came in and said, "Okay, lights out. Good night, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

"Night!" the girls cheered and Katie killed the lights.

Individual "Good night's" sounded on for a few seconds. Aya embraced her teddy bear and fell asleep.

 **Kola's room**

 _So my peaceful life as one of many mechanics just ended abruptly… Now I'm the mechanic, caretaker, gardener and whatnot in this unit! And I'm still a damn Private, with a Private's pay… Eh, blyet… But at least my new commander seems to be a reasonable girl, that I have to admit. Actually, calling her a girl could be a bit offensive to her, since she has nice curves and all that… Mmmm… And that shy girl – Aya… It was weird to carry her on my shoulders… I felt that she was shaking like a sapling during a hurricane, but she just sat there… The rest of the girls seems okay too, what a band of misfits… Nice misfits… But that compatriot of mine some kind of bad air around her… Hmmmm…_

 _Whatever now, time to sleep, I have a busy day ahead of me._

 **Unknown location**

 **2130 MSK**

A phone rang in a dimly lit office. A dark hand took the receiver and asked, "Da?"

"Comrade, how are you?" a voice with a Liberian accent asked.

"Ah, good, Cowboy."

"The girls have all arrived."

"Marvelous."

"How is Proyekt Avrora going on?"

"It's progressing fast; don't worry your Liberian head about it. And how is Project Elysium going?"

"It's finished, we're now waiting for you, Comrade."

"Excellent. The wait will be fully excused once we finish."

"The fate of humanity lies in the hands of both of our countries."

"I guess this time we won't have a single hero?"

"I highly doubt it. Good night, Comrade."

"Good day, Cowboy."

* * *

 **Nothing to explain I guess?**

* * *

 **Doran Maya has a new poll, so check it out... Or something...  
**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	9. Chapter 9 – Split command

Chapter 9 – Split command

* * *

 **The next day**

 **Corridor in the main building of the Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **0500 MSK**

"It was a good night, comrade," Tatiana said quietly.

"Indeed, it was," Aina replied with the same vocal intensity. "But if not for that one M-3 Neuroi, we'd have a still night."

"Your prowess with that copy of an AK is noteworthy."

"Ah, thank you. And that launcher of yours isn't a firework mortar either, heh…"

"I guess our commanders are sleeping, so we should report this when we wake up ourselves, right?"

"Indeed. Now, let's try to get inside the bedroom without waking up too many people, okay, com…"

Tatiana heard a thud and looked around. Aina was on the floor; with one hand under her head in a position as if she was running on the floor and breathing steadily.

"Well, now I have to drag you inside, you Suomish narcoleptic…" she sighed deeply and took the sleeping beauty under her armpits.

After dragging her for a few meters along the corridor, Tatiana placed her against the wall and silently opened the door.

 _"_ _Ooof, it seems that Kola is doing his maintenance properly…"_

She dragged Aina inside and closed the door behind her. After dragging Aina to her bunk, and laying her on it, Tatiana started unclothing herself. While pulling off her coat, she was looking at the rest of the beds basked in the dim moonlight, and she saw two small glints with her night-sensitive eyes. There was a quick movement, and the glints disappeared.

 _"_ _Stranne (Weird)… That's probably the bed of that problem child of ours… I think I'll pay her a visit…"_

Tatiana moved to the double bunk bed of Elsa and Aya, and she stared into the blanket. After a minute, the blanket moved and the she could see Aya's puzzled face.

"Ummm… D-Dobroye utro (good morning)?" she asked barely audibly.

"Dobroye utro, tovarishch polkovnik," Tatiana said with a smile. "Pochemu vy prosnulis' tak rano (Why have you woken up so early)?"

"Uh… H-How do you know t-that I know Orussian?"

"Hmmm…" Tatiana smiled mysteriously. "You've said good morning without a hint of foreign accent. In addition, your comrades bragged how you were the gunner in the tank yesterday. The FCS does require a language comprehension above grade school level."

Aya raised her right eyebrow and a faint smile appeared on her face.

"Sleep now, comrade," Tatiana said and moved her hand towards Aya's shoulders.

Aya in turn moved away from her fearfully.

"Oh, pardon me."

"It's… Okay… I bet you didn't want to do anything bad but…"

"Ssshhhh… Sleep, da?"

"Okay…"

Tatiana went her way and Aya relaxed.

"Hat Sie dich gestört (Did she bother you)?" Aya heard Sieglinde's whisper suddenly.

Aya looked to her left and saw Sieglinde looking tensely in Tatiana's direction.

"Nein, nein… Alles gut (Everything okay)."

"Verstanden (Understood)…"

Aya pulled up her teddy bear closer to herself and dozed off.

 **Commander bedroom**

Ellie slowly opened her eyes. It was still dark outside, and the enormous _Elektronika 7_ watch on her nightstand was showing 07:20 with its green glowing diodes.

"Mmmmmmm…" she stretched herself.

She sat straight and looked around. Despite there being a few rooms to spare, Ellie shared a bedroom with Katie. The latter had a gloom feeling that it had to do with a man being on the base, but Ellie was not that sure about that.

 _"_ _She looks so cute when she's sleeping… I wonder how Aya looks while sleeping? She would look like a porcelain doll! Or… Tatiana… Hmmm… Well, she's sleeping, so I could look at her… Whatever now, first, I have to wake up miss dozer here…"_

Ellie pulled on her socks and went to the side of the bed ahead of hers. She started slowly but firmly poking the sides of Katie, in an effort to wake her up.

 _"_ _Yeah, right, might as well bang her with a crowbar… Ehhh… Why are you doing this to me, Katie…?"_

Ellie grabbed her nose and covered her mouth. After no more than ten seconds, Katie started tumbling and opened her eyes violently. Ellie quickly removed her hands of her friends face.

"Elllliiiieeeeeee!" Katie shouted after a few gasps. "You did it again!"

"Because you did it again. I could place you by the exhaust of a jet engine, and you would just turn around so your back could get warmer…"

"Well, you know I'm a heavy sleeper…" Katie mumbled.

"Yes…" Ellie sighed. "Just too good," she smiled. "Get to the kitchen and make some nice breakfast; we have our trip today, right?"

"Ah, yes, shopping time! And we have to do some recon around the local villages and towns anyway."

"Shoo to the kitchen then, I'll go see if the girls have woken up already."

"Kay."

 **Bedroom**

Aya opened her eyes and carefully looked around.

 _"_ _A second night passed in my new unit… Let's see if I remember where everyone sleeps… Hmmm… I have Elsie above me. Angela is to my left, with Sigi above her. To my right is that Liberian girl Elwyn and that lesbian from Romagna, Giulietta. To their right are our night witches it seems, the sleepy Aina on the bottom, and that sly Tatiana on top. Opposite to my bed is Marie, and above her is that surprise cousin-amnesiac of our second in command… To their right hands are my dearest Shino and Nami. It's so nice that the two are with me… Now I have SOOO many friends! But still, most of them are total strangers… Sure, they are_ spiritually _related to me, but… They are strangers… I don't know anything about them… I just…"_

Aya saw the door slowly opening, and she quickly ducked under her blanket. She saw Ellie coming inside the room. She looked at the bunk with the night witches with a sour face, but then she looked directly at Aya. Aya could feel that Ellie's stare almost pierced her.

 _"_ _What to do what to do what to do…"_

Ellie slowly but surely approached her bed. Just before she stopped, Sieglinde's quiet voice could be heard, "Rules apply, commander."

 _"_ _Sigi's awake already? Right… She must have some sixth sense towards me…"_

Ellie's face soon appeared in Aya's narrow vision slit. Aya froze on her whole body, but she managed to squeeze out a "Hello c-c-c-commander."

"Hello, Aya. How are you today?" she asked with a warm smile and soft voice.

"F-Fine…" Aya replied with slightly more enthusiasm.

"Good to hear. Now, can you come out under that blanket, I have something to talk about."

"Oh… Okay…"

Aya slowly slid out under the blanket and sat straight.

"My, even with bed hair you're pretty…" Ellie complimented her, making her blush fiercely.

"B-But what is it t-that you want to t-talk to me about?"

"Ah, yes. You see, after breakfast, Katie and I are going out, and we need somebody who would be the acting officer. I've chosen you, because you know Orussian, and frankly, I want you to _man up_ a bit."

"Oh…" Aya said and started thinking intensively. "But… I can't… I'm a t-total greenhorn in such matters… Maybe Angela?"

"Bother… But I wanted you specifically, you know?"

"Ma'am, I can take her as my deputy, if it's possible," Angela said all of a sudden.

"Oh, that could be good… Then it's decided, and that's what I'll announce during breakfast. Now, slowly start waking up the rest, because Katie went to the dining hall already, okay."

"Yes ma'am," the three awake Karlslanders said.

"Hey, Sieglinde…"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Could you flex your arm for me?"

"Okay."

Despite the relative darkness, Ellie saw that Sieglinde's arm looked almost like an anatomy model, with just bare traces of body fat and pure muscles, which would make some men jealous, bulging from under her skin.

"Perfect… Now I know that leaving you all with Kola won't be a bad idea."

Sieglinde smiled and said, "If he were any threat, I guess each of our four could blast him to kingdom come."

Ellie went out of the room with a big grin on her face, and Sieglinde said, "She's trying a bit too hard with Aya if you ask me…"

"But she IS trying… What do you think, Aya?"

"Umm… Well… She is our commander; I guess she's concerned…" Aya said quietly. "But we should start waking the girls up… I'll take my Fusojin friends!"

"Then I'll take the Romagnan and her friend," Sieglinde said with a devilish smile.

"I will go for Marie and her bunk mate then," Angela said.

Just as she said that, they heard some mumbling from the bunk over Aya. She lifted herself up and saw Elsa spread across the whole mattress, with her mouth wide open but still sleeping. At the same time, Aya had a feeling that Sieglinde's eyes glared evilly.

"No, Sigi! I'll wake her up…"

"Okay, but the next time I'll make my move."

"Kay…"

Aya jumped up and on Elsa, but the latter didn't react. She started gently shaking her, but seeing that didn't give a reaction, she simply double fishhooked her. Elsa slowly opened her eyes and said, "Ogh hy Ayuh…"

She pulled her fingers out of Elsa's mouth and said, "Hi, Elsie."

"Uggghh… What time is it…?"

"High time to wake up," Sieglinde mumbled angrily.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Okay, now the rest," Angela commanded. "Socks on, forward march."

The three pulled on their socks and they went to their targets.

 **Aya**

She went on to the bed where Shinobu was resting. Just as she stopped beside her, Shinobu opened her eyes.

"I'm awake already, Aya. Wake up sleepy head over me."

"Okay. Good morning anywho…"

"Yeah, morning," Shinobu smiled slightly.

Aya hoisted herself up and on Nami's bunk. The tall Fusojin was slightly curled, facing the window. Aya placed her hand on Nami's left arm and slowly started budging her. Unexpectedly, Nami's right hand slowly started wandering towards Aya's. Aya looked at the unfolding event mesmerized, and her hand was now grabbed, and firmly pulled, so that Aya landed on her side at Nami's side. The Fusojin tucked herself into Aya and started mumbling something unintelligible.

 _"_ _W-W-W-What's happening?! Nami, stop! I don't know what to do!"_

Aya was squirming around, trying to release herself, and she heard Nami's sleepy voice, "Ayaya? What…"

"You're using m-me as a t-teddy bear, Nami!"

"Heh, whoops, sorry! But don't you like it?"

"Well… Now that you've spoken up… Maybe…" she said and squirmed around. "Heehee… Your boobs are soft on my back…"

All of a sudden, Aya felt a hand on her pairs.

"Well now, Ayaya, you sure have grown through all these years yourself, ha!"

"Oh stop! E-Everyone is feeling me up l-lately!"

"Can't blame them, heheh… So anyway, what are you doing on my bunk?"

"I wanted to wake you up…" Aya mumbled. "And can I turn around already?"

"Yeah, sure," Nami said and released Aya from her constraints.

Aya turned around, faced the now smiling Nami, and said, "Remember our first slumber party?"

"Yes!" Nami cheered. "It was something!"

 **Sieglinde**

Sieglinde simply approached Elwyn and shook her shoulder.

"Whaaa… Whaaa…" Elwyn mumbled. "Wazzup?"

"It's almost half past seven, time to wake up, Liberion."

"Okay, okay, just don't kill me or anything…"

"And why would I do that, huh?"

"Dunno, Giulietta seemed scared of you…"

"She tried to outright grope me while I was under the shower, so I had to teach her that it's not permitted, simple," Sieglinde explained with a neutral voice.

"Well, whatever now, I'm getting up. And…" Elwyn took her glasses, put them on, and eyed Sieglinde, only clad in a tank top and black panties. "Well, no wonder she wanted some skinship with you…"

"My body isn't meant for touching, Liberion. I hope at least you understand that?"

"Yeah, I do," she replied and stretched herself. "Now where did I put everything…"

Sieglinde in turn jumped up on Giulietta's bunk and flicked the latter's nose while straddling on her. Giulietta slowly opened her eyes, but she twitched once she saw Sieglinde with a devilish grin sitting on her.

"Good morning…" Sieglinde said with a low voice.

"G-G-G-G-G…"

"I'm going to say it once, and only once – if you ever try to grope me, I'll break your hands. But if you try to grope Aya, well… She will have a tough time healing all the single small bones that will be broken in your entire body… Are we clear on that matter?"

Giulietta nodded her head so violently that the whole bed started moving.

"Good," Sieglinde said and smiled slightly. "Now that that's clear, why don't we try to get along a bit… But don't just jump up all happy and puffy; you won't be my friend just now."

"O-Okay…"

"If I see your worth in combat, and a good influence on Aya, I'll see what can be done between us."

"Mhm…"

"Now, get off your ass, it's time to head for breakfast."

"Kay…" Giulietta mumbled.

Suddenly, and idea came to Sieglinde's mind, and she lifted her tank top, just to reveal a bit of the lower part of her breasts.

"You… You demon you! Teasing me like that!" Giulietta shouted confounded.

"Sieglinde, give it a rest," Angela sighed from beside the now awake Elizabeth. "Don't torture the poor girl…"

"Serves her right for trying to get these in her hands," she said and pulled of her tank top completely. "I have to put on my bra anyway."

Despite the relative darkness, Sieglinde could see tears in Giulietta's eyes.

"What now?" she asked irritated.

"Nothing… Nothing…"

"Tears won't work on me, missy," Sieglinde said and jumped off on the ground.

"She sure has a hard character…" Nami whispered to Aya.

"She's soft when she needs to be," Aya smiled. "Okay, let's get dressed and go eat."

"Kay!"

While the girls were changing, Aya noticed that Elwyn didn't changed from her _night shirt_ to her _day shirt_.

 _"_ _Is she just sloppy or_ economic? _I wonder… But she sure has big boobs, I have to admit…" Aya thought._

Somebody else voiced her concerns, namely Angela.

"Liberion, why aren't you changing your shirt?"

"Waah!" she almost jumped up. "Um. I'm just… economic! One shirt for all times!"

"Really now? And you say you're going to do after breakfast exercise in that outfit too?"

"Um, yeah?"

"That won't do. Personal hygiene is an important matter, especially in such a small unit."

"Meh, you're not the boss of me…"

"I'm not right now, but after breakfast, I will be. Prepare yourself."

"Huh, what?"

"You'll get the details afterwards, but now I'll leave you in uncertainty," Angela smirked.

"Okay…" Elwyn shrugged and buttoned up her uniform.

"Angela, you could loosen up a bit…" Marie said. "You're behaving like a field commander now…"

"I like ordnung in my life, that's all. But when it's time for tomfoolery and shenanigans, you'll see me in a different light," she winked and proceeded with combing her hair.

"Oh, could I do that?" Marie asked.

"Comb my hair?"

"Yes!" she cheered.

"Sure, why not. Why don't we make it a hair combing threesome then? Aya?"

"Yeeees?"

"Come here, I'll do your hair."

"Kay!"

The three sat in a nice row on Angela's bunk and proceeded with the combing.

"Woooow, Angela, your hair is silky smooth!" Marie cheered.

"Proper nutrients and good shampoo, that's all to it. Well, maybe some good genes too, heh…"

"Well, your Grandma sure had nice hair, judging from the photos."

"She still does," Angela said. "57 years old, but she still looks like she could kick some Neuroi ass."

"Well, she's still singing sometimes, she has to look good…" Marie said quietly.

"Oh? Are you a fan perhaps?"

"Eheheheh…" Marie laughed dryly. "Even a bumpkin like me has some taste."

"Indeed…" Angela smirked. "Hey, you're awfully good at what you're doing now… Any practice?"

"Uhum! I have a younger sister, Giselle! She's always so happy when I do her hair… Or anything for her for that matter…" Marie said while stopping her hand for a bit. "But let's not talk about that now…"

"Okay, if you don't want to, we won't," Angela said. "Aya, we're finished I think."

"Uhum."

"I guess we're finished too, Angela," Marie said. "I'll tend to myself now."

"Thank you," Angela said.

"The pleasure was on my side," Marie said and went her way.

"She looked a bit sad…" Elsa said quietly from the top bunk.

"Maybe her sister had some unpleasant accident…" Angela pondered.

"Hey, Karlslanders!" Elwyn said a bit louder suddenly.

"Yeah?" Sieglinde asked.

"Why are we actually doing everything in half-dark?"

Sieglinde looked dumbfounded at the rest and said, "Well… Nobody gave an order to turn on the lights…"

"Ah, so we probably need some kind of… dorm mother?"

"Most likely," Shinobu said. "I can volunteer, if there are no counter candidates."

"You?" Angela asked. "And why you, huh?"

"Because I have a sparkling clean record and even a few written citations?"

"Hmmm… That does sound rather good… Sieglinde, what do you say?"

"We can try this."

"Aya?"

"Oh, Shino was the most disciplined in our class!"

"Now, would you look at that…? Well now, it is official. Have at it, Fusojin."

"Thanks," Shinobu said with a crooked smile. "I would give the order to turn on the lights, but you have forgotten one thing, Sieglinde."

"And that is?"

"Why are we talking quietly right now?"

"Because…" Sieglinde looked around. "Oh, right, the two from the night patrol. Yeah, turning on the lights would be a bit off…"

"I see your brain is in place. Okay, I see that everyone is more or less ready? One minute, and we're moving out to the dining hall," Shinobu said with a firm voice and went to stand beside the door.

"Heeey, Shinooooobu!" Nami whisper-shouted while waving two katanas in her hands.

"Woah shit, throw them to me!"

Nami threw the katanas to Shinobu, and the latter strapped them on to her back.

"You're even going to wear those cleavers to breakfast?" Sieglinde asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Should I note that none of you have their pistols, as per the regulation of our dear commander?" Shinobu rebuked and pulled out her P220 from behind her. "If there's a combat alert, every second counts."

"I like you more and more," Angela said with a smile as she picked up her P220 from her nightstand.

When all the girls were armed and dangerous, Shinobu opened the door and said, "Let's go. Single file, pairs, or sextets, whatever. Just be somewhat orderly."

Marie and Nami, hovering around Aya, joined the Karlslanders. Elizabeth seemed to try to befriend Elwyn, and Giullietta was walking behind them alone.

Shinobu opened the door to the dining hall.

"Good morning, commanders!" she shouted and saluted.

"Morning," Katie responded.

"Ditto," Kola said.

"Good morning, Shinobu," Ellie's voice could be heard. "And where's the rest of the merry bunch?"

"Just behind me, commander."

"Then come on in, all of you. Katie's finishing breakfast."

"Roger. Come on in, girls."

The rest came in, greeting their commanders and Kola more or less cheerfully. After everyone has taken a seat, Ellie said, "Now, I see that you got really organized. Good job."

"I have unofficially became the _dorm mother_ so to speak," Shinobu said proudly.

"Ah, good! Well, I'll just slap my seal of approval on that."

Shinobu's face was now the definition of smug, but now Angela asked, "Commander, will we discuss _that_ matter now?"

"Ah, yes, of course. Listen up, girls! Today, Katie and I are going on a supply trip to Kamyshin, which we can now undertake, courtesy of Aya's grandfather…"

Ellie paused and everyone beside those present at that moment looked at Aya. She in turn hid behind Elsa with a red face.

"Anyway…" Ellie continued with a smile. "Somebody needs to look out for the unit while we're away, and I have decided that the one to be the acting commander will be Angela here," she said and pointed to the red haired Karlslander. "As such, she'll have full authority over the unit. Additionally, to preserve the chain of command, her deputy will be Aya."

Shinobu's eyebrow was twitching as Angela grinned towards her.

"You knew…" the former growled.

Angela shrugged and said, "The Bundeswehr never slops down on intel... But don't worry, I recognize your authority in our… barracks."

"I hope!"

"Now, now, don't fight," Ellie calmed them down. "Until I'm away, you're all MY subordinates," she smiled.

"Of course…" the two mumbled.

"Before I forget, you all are forbidden to leave the base unless for a dire emergency."

"So no shopping for souvenirs in Lebyazhye?" Elsa asked.

"No."

"Booooooo…" Elsa puffed her cheeks in disdain.

"Kamyshin is a better spot to shop anyway," Kola said. "In Lebyazhye, the only souvenir you can get is a black eye or a bottle of moonshine that will melt away your intestines."

"The second could be interesting…" Sieglinde said while scratching her chin.

"No, no moonshine," Ellie said. "And really, just stay at base, ready for combat. Angela, get the girls to train or something so they won't get bored. We have a whole gym for crying out loud!"

"Of course, ma'am! I'll bring the Wehrmacht ordnung to the unit!"

"My, my… So enthusiastic… Katie, how's that food?!"

"Ready for serving! Come and get it you hungry lot!"

"Hope it's not horse dick extract again…" Sieglinde mumbled.

"I heard that!" Katie shouted. "Guess what? It's the same today! But I found some spices, so shut up and eat."

"Yes ma'am…" Sieglinde mumbled with red cheeks.

Ellie and the Karlslanders took their _kasha_ , and the next one was Elizabeth.

"So, Lily, how is your memory?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, no progress…"

"Don't worry, Cousin, there's always hope for amnesiacs," Katie smiled warmly.

"Yes… There's always hope…" Elizabeth said and walked away.

Marie took her portion and the next was Elwyn.

"You look a bit cute, you know, Elwyn?"

"Oh come on, ma'am…" she blushed slightly.

"No, I'm not pulling your leg… But whatever, my dear compatriot, go on."

"Compatriot? I thought you're a Leh?"

"First five years of my life I spent in Liberion," Katie smiled.

"Aaaaaah… Okay, this is nice," Elwyn smiled herself and went away.

Giulietta was up next.

"Ah, our declared lesbian," Katie said with a wry smile. "I hope you're not making moves on the girls?"

Giulietta squirmed around in place, trying to count the dirt specks on the floor.

"No way…" Katie whispered. "Already?"

"Sieglinde…"

"Shit, you sure chose a wrong target… Everything okay?"

"I was just reprimanded… A bit brutally, but I'm okay…"

"Ah, I guess I'll let it slide altogether then. Go on."

Next one up was Nami.

"Damn, I'm still under impression of your height. And the rest sure is corresponding with your height, heh…"

"Heehee… I guess the genes from my grandfather's side made it possible," Nami winked and walked away.

The last of those who haven't had a breakfast here yet was Shinobu.

"You do look a bit like Aya, you know?"

"That's possible, ma'am. She does have some Asian blood in her after all."

"But really, gimme those swords, now."

"But…"

"No but's, missy. You won't eat with those on your back."

"Yes ma'am…" she sighed and gave Katie both of her swords.

"Thank you. Now scoot."

Once everyone has eaten, Ellie stood up and said, "Angela and Aya, come with us. We have to show you the ropes quickly."

"Roger," the two responded and went with Ellie and Katie.

Once in the corridor, Katie asked Aya, "Nervous?"

"A… A bit… B-But it's Angela doing t-the commanding, right?"

"Yes, she'll be the head honcho for the few hours," Katie smiled.

When they reached the inside of the office, Ellie pointed out her chair to Angela and said, "There, you can try it for size."

"Can I?"

"Yes, you're permitted as long as you're the acting commander."

Angela quickly sat on the chair, wiggled a bit and said, "Surprisingly comfortable for something looking so robust…"

"Ain't it? Anyway, the phone is where you see it. Be sure to have either you or Aya beside it at all times. Aside from that, I guess you're ready. Ah, but wait…"

Ellie kneeled behind the desk and opened a small door. A safe was built in inside the desk, and with a swift movement of the code dial, Ellie opened it up. She pulled out the same envelope Aya gave her, and picked out five bills. Afterwards, she closed the safe up with the money inside.

"We can't use these directly, but Kola said there's a money changer in town that will take care of us, so to speak," Ellie explained.

"Okay, I understand."

"Take care girls, don't blow up anything," Katie said and grinned wildly.

Both of them exited the room. Aya slowly sat in the chair in which she saw Kola first.

"So, how does it feel to be the second in command?" Angela asked.

"Weird…"

"Just lean back for now, Aya. We're just secretaries right now. Well, until a Neuroi decides to give us a visit that is."

"Okay, Angela…" Aya said and leaned back, looking at the ceiling. "Maybe today will be a peaceful day? What do you think?"

"Maybe… We can always hope for the better, Ayaya."

"It sure sounds weird coming from your mouth, heehee…"

"I thought so… Seems only a Fusojin can make that sound so funny and cute."

 **Dining room**

"Hey, ladies, want to hear a joke?" Kola asked suddenly, as the girls slowly finished eating.

"Some kind of "in Soviet Orussia" joke?" Elwyn asked.

"In Soviet Orussia, you're on the joke," Kola said with a smirk.

Elwyn and some of the other girls snorted involuntarily, and the Liberian said, "Fuck, that caught me off guard… Shit, if that made me snicker, I wonder what a proper one from you will do?"

"Here goes," Kola said. "Two friends meet each other in a restaurant – a Liberian and an Orussian…"

"Unheard of…" Tatiana said with false pretense, looking at Elwyn.

"You know, I can show you an old trick with a disappearing knife…" Elwyn grunted towards her.

"Okay, shut it, I want to hear the joke," Sieglinde barked, and the two stopped their bickering.

"Resuming…" Kola sighed. "The both were telling each other how they're doing. The Liberian says, "Yeah, besides all of that that I told you, I have three cars," to which the Orussian asks, "Why three?" The Liberian answers, "I drive one to work, the second one my wife uses for shopping, and we visit our friends with the third one. And how many cars do you have?" The Orussian simply replies, "Two," to which the Liberian asks, "Why only two?" and the Orussian answers, "The first one my wife uses for shopping, and the second one is my drive-to-work car." The Liberian then asks, "And your friends? How do you visit them?" The Orussian, with a straight face, replies, "Friends we visit with a tank."

Nothing could be heard, but soon, Sieglinde started giggling quietly, followed up by Tatiana.

"What the hell was funny about that?" Elwyn asked with a perplexed expression.

"It seems you have to be more Central European than we are…" Elizabeth sighed.

* * *

 **Nothing to explain again? Unheard of!**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	10. Chapter 10 – Battle hard…

Chapter 10 – Battle hard…

* * *

 **Kamyshin**

 **Lenin St.**

Katie parked the enormous ZiL on the sidewalk and the two jumped out of the truck.

"This should be it… At least according to Kola and what that constable that gave us directions." Ellie said while looking at the gray tenement house. "Almost like home, huh?"

"Well, our dear _befriended_ country sent us supplies after all, huh?" Katie snickered.

"Haha! Let's go inside."

The smell of mold attacked their nostrils once they opened the yellow door. A dim, 40-watt light bulb was shining on the first floor, barely highlighting the beige paint peeling off the walls en masse.

"Slava kamunizma (Glory to communism)…" Katie mumbled and spat to her side.

Both scaled the concrete stairs to the fourth floor and arrived before a solid door with the number eight under the peephole.

"This is it," Ellie said and knocked two times and once after a second of pause.

They waited only ten seconds and a gruff voice asked, "Chto (What)?"

Ellie sighed and said the password, "Den'gi ne vonyayet (Money doesn't stink)…"

"Skol'ko (How much)?"

Ellie pulled out the five hundred-dollar bill and put them up to the peephole.

"Podozhdite (Wait)."

Ellie looked with an irritated look at Katie, who gave her back the same.

Five fifty-ruble bills suddenly popped out under the door. Ellie kneeled and tried to pull them, but they were held back. She heard the man clear his throat ostentatiously behind the door. Ellie shook her head and slid the five hundred dollars under the door in a similar way and it quickly disappeared. She took the rubles and stuffed it into her pocket.

"Fucking scalper…" Ellie cussed quietly but furiously.

"Hoo, this is rare… You are swearing?"

"We basically lost two hundred fifty rubles because we wanted to do it off grid. But whatever, let's go."

"Yeah… But better that than the military jumping on our asses for having private foreign currency, right?"

"Indeed…"

 **Air Base**

 **Commander's office**

"Boooooooring…" Aya moaned.

"Why don't you look at what Sieglinde is doing?" Angela asked.

"Oh? I think I could… But what… what if she's with the others?"

"What then? We're one unit Aya, and we share much similarities. And if Sieglinde is there, she won't let you get hurt in any way, right?"

"Heh… I guess so… Okay, I'm going then."

"Atta girl," Angela smiled.

Aya stood up and went on down the corridor.

 _"_ _Errr… Now where should I go? I believe Sigi was talking about exercising…"_

She slowly strolled down the corridor and just as she was about to open the door to the gym, it burst open with Sieglinde standing in it with fury written all over her face.

"Waaaaaaaah!" Aya shouted and hid herself behind the door leading to the bath.

"Aya! Aya, sorry for scaring you! I was just about to go your way!" Sieglinde shouted from behind the door.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, come out, everything's okay."

Aya slowly peeked out and saw Sieglinde still a bit irritated, but definitely not furious.

"Are you mad at something, Sigi?"

"Come with me, Aya," Sieglinde waved Aya in, adding a frown to it.

"O-Okay."

Aya followed her into the gym and saw that everyone was doing something. Except for Shinobu, who was simply leaning against a wall.

"Using Aya against me? You won't stop from nothing, huh?" Shinobu asked with a sour face.

Aya only tilted her head in wonder.

"Aya, this stubborn Fusojin blockhead refuses to train under my command."

"Oh? But everyone else is…"

"Motivating them was a piece of cake, believe me. But this… this… stubborn oaf just won't do anything!"

Aya approached Shinobu and asked, "Shino, why aren't you training?"

"Because she's not my boss. I have to set things straight here."

"Oh but Shino… Sigi want's only the best for you… Look at her. Don't you think somebody with that body doesn't deserve some respect and recognition when it comes to PE?" Aya asked with a cutesy voice.

"Hnnnnngg… Aya, please, that's cheating!"

"Mmmmuuu, Shinooooo… Please listen to Sigi… She's working very hard to be fit; maybe she could even give you some pointers…" Aya said and looked towards Sieglinde. "Right, Sigi?"

"Well, if YOU are asking…"

"So what will it be, Shino?"

"Okay, okay! I give in! What should I do, Sieglinde?"

"First I have to evaluate you, and then we'll see."

"Okay…" Shinobu sighed. "But only because Aya insisted!"

"If you want to stay with that… Ah, Aya, thanks for helping!"

"No problem," Aya smiled, but then, just for a second, the world got black for her.

 **Ten seconds earlier**

"I hope you're hands are strong, cuz this one you won't parry!" Elsa shouted. "Atomschuss!"

Elsa glowed and her right foot headed straight towards the soccer ball at her feet after a brief run up. Somehow, she slipped with her left foot, rotating her body ninety degrees to the left. Alas, her right foot hit its target, and the ball went soaring across the gym. With bathed breath, Elsa watched as the balled smacked Aya straight in the face and knocking her off her feet and a good meter back.

Elsa's jaw wanted to drop right now but she quickly ran up to Aya to which Sieglinde was tending right now.

"Aya! Aya! Are you okay?!" Elsa shouted.

"Uuuuuurrrrmmmmggg…" Aya mumbled and reached to her nose. "Oooooowwww…" she hissed and hey eyes immediately filled with tears.

"Aya, I'm so sorry, I…"

Aya looked at Elsa, her eyes overflowing with tears before she finally exploded.

"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" she cried like a little girl.

Elsa's right shoulder was suddenly weighed down, and she looked to her side, only to see Sieglinde with eyes that only needed a real flame in them to complete the picture of rage.

"Elsa… I give you ten fucking seconds to stop Aya from crying, or I'll kick you so hard you'll remember how you took your first dump on the potty…" Sieglinde said with a voice cold as the snowy plains of the Antarctic.

Elsa nodded frantically and she quickly hugged Aya while patting her on the head at the same time.

"Sssssh, Aya, shuuush… It's okaaaay… It was only a ball that hit you… It was an accident… I'm sorry…"

Instead of crying, Elsa could only hear sniveling right now, and she felt as she was hugged in return.

"Okay…" Aya said silently.

"Will I live, Sieglinde?" Elsa asked sarcastically.

"Just by hair's width. How the fuck did this happen?"

"I slipped while trying to shoot a penalty towards Nami…"

"Ugh, you klutz…" Sieglinde sighed.

"Aya, is your nose okay?" Marie asked.

"Oh… Um… Yes… Yes… I… My r-regenerative abilities w-will take over s-soon…"

"Convenient," Marie smiled.

"I'll go back to Angela now…" Aya said and stood up. "I'm s-sorry for disturbing."

She turned around and walked away.

Elsa sighed deeply from relief, but she felt as her hair started raising itself on her neck. She looked around and saw Sieglinde, Shinobu, and Nami glaring angrily at her.

"Eeeeehhh… I guess I'm getting a whooping?"

"Bingo…" Shinobu growled.

 **Commander's office**

The door opened slowly and Angela saw Aya coming in with slightly red eyes and a bit less red face with a hexagonal pattern on it.

"Lieber Gott, Aya! What happened?!" Angela jumped off the chair.

"Oh… I got hit by a soccer ball…"

"Ouch… How did that happen?"

"Elsie fumbled when she was playing with Nami…"

"That bonehead… I'll show her!" Angela shouted and started moving towards the door.

Aya however put her hand before her and said, "No, no! Please, you don't have to do anything, Angela… She apologized, and she even hugged me… And I have the fleeting sensation that the girls are taking _care_ of her already…"

"Ah, okay then… Then I'll only fetch some ice on that snout of yours, kay?"

"If you wish… But that will heal in a bit by itself…"

"Oh shush already, I'm going."

"Heehee… Thanks…"

 **An hour later**

"Okay girls - that's it for today!" Sieglinde shouted. "Good job, everyone! I'll talk with everyone individually later! Now, hit the showers!"

She saw that Elwyn twitched when she said "showers."

 _"_ _Oh? Is she some kind of hydrophobe or what? Ah, right, Angela wanted to get behind why that Liberian doesn't change. Perfect timing!"_

She waited for everyone to pass, and just when Elwyn was moving her way forward, Sieglinde said, "Liberion, wait a moment."

"Yeah?"

"I want to talk to you now."

"Hummm… Well, whatever now."

They both waited for everyone to disappear in the shower room, and Sieglinde started.

"Why aren't you changing your clothes, Liberion?"

"Oh, this again…" Elwyn made a sour face. "Do we HAVE to have this talk?"

"Yes. We don't want you to be a walking stink bomb."

"I'll change my top just… I need some privacy…"

"Hmm? We're all girls here, nothing to be afraid of.

"There's still that Kola guy."

"If he comes anywhere near us when we're revealing even a millimeter of our _strategic parts_ , I'll wipe the floor with him."

"Still…"

"Ugh, just tell me what the fuck is wrong already…" Sieglinde shook her head while grabbing her forehead.

Elwyn took a deep breath and pulled of her t-shirt. Her whole chest area was wrapped up tightly with bandages.

"Oh… Are you covering up… burn scars perhaps?" the Karlslander asked baffled.

"No… It's something more… trivial…"

"Huh?"

"You see… My tits are REALLY entitled to be called so… I… I wrap them up so they become smaller…"

"Were you bullied because of the size of your breasts?"

"Yes…" Elwyn mumbled.

"Aya also had some trouble with bullies, but on a different level… Come on Liberion! Let your pairs breathe! Look at mine! Double fucking D's!" Sieglinde said and grabbed her breasts clad in a sport bra.

"Bigger…"

"What?"

"Mine are bigger…" Elwyn mumbled with a red face.

"Just how much?"

"34F…"

"Jesus!"

"Right..."

"Still, I assure you that nobody will pick on you because the size of your breasts once you tell them your story."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure. I chipped off some knowledge of psychology from Angela to handle Aya better."

"Ah, thanks… But… I have a request…"

"What is it?"

"Could you stop calling me Liberion?"

"Well… Okay then, Clarke."

"Much better," Elwyn smiled.

They entered the shower room and Sieglinde said, "Girls, Clarke here has an announcement."

The showers stopped and everyone looked towards Elwyn. With trembling hands, she undid her bandages, revealing breasts of unparalleled size. Giulietta looked as if she was going to have a stroke.

"Nice announcement…" Giulietta said with a dry throat. "Can I…"

"N-No! Shoo!" Elwyn shouted and covered her breasts.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwww… No fun…"

"So… Why did you wrap those up?" Shinobu asked.

"The other girls often bullied me because I had breasts at least two sizes bigger than anyone… Envy is a really big thing amongst pre-adolescent girls in Liberion…"

"Hey, you don't need to worry about that here, right?" Nami asked everyone around.

The girls nodded affirmatively.

"Although, I would look out for the Romagnan, now that she knows you have the biggest knockers in a kilometer radius…" Sieglinde said with a wry smile.

"Crap… Well, I took it upon myself. But thanks, Sieglinde."

"And who let you call me that?"

"Oh come on…" Elsa mumbled.

"Oh whatever, have at it…" Sieglinde sighed.

Elwyn looked at the sad Giulietta, sitting on the cold tiles with puffed cheeks.

"Hey, boob devil," Elwyn said.

Giulietta immediately raised her head.

"Come on, just this once."

"REALLY?!"

"Sure. It's not like you'll be the first one to fondle them."

"Oh?" Giulietta tilted her head.

"Heheh… That will be a story for another time," she winked.

Giulietta rubbed her hands together and indulged herself in her favorite past time activity.

 **Kamyshin**

 **2 hours later**

"Damn, we should have taken Kola… My arms are failing me…" Katie moaned as she was loading the last crate onto the truck parked before the warehouse near Volgogradskaya Street.

"Well, we had some exercise, hah!"

"Yeah, yeah… How much more stuff to get?"

"Only two stops and we're going back home."

"Phew… Good…"

"And we still have room on the truck!"

"Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwww…" Katie moaned so loud the cat looking at them scooted off.

 **Commander's office**

 **1 hour later**

"The commanders are sure taking their time…" Angela sighed. "And nobody gives a shit about entertaining us…"

"Maybe it's for the best…"

Aya's sentence was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Enter," Angela said.

The door opened and the big hulk Kola entered.

"Oh, you sure were invisible all this time," Angela said.

"I was doing some work outside, maintaining the lamp posts. Everything should work now."

"Ah, yes… I believe the lamps outside were dead last night… Well, as the acting commander, I hereby give you praise," Angela said with a wry smile.

"Oh thank you, tovarishch leytnant, heheh…" Kola answered with similar wryness and looked at Aya.

He saw that she was looking at him both mesmerized and afraid, and her internal conflict somehow didn't let her look the other way.

"Okay, big guy, enough with eyeing Aya. Either find yourself some occupation or go rest."

"I think I'll take the second option, since I have a hunch I'll be busy after our dear commander returns."

"Whatever now."

Kola went out of the room, and Angela immediately asked, "Aya, fallen in love already?"

"W-What?! N-No! I-I-I…"

"Come on, admit it! Your heart started pounding faster when you saw him, huh?"

Aya was rubbing her knees together with the color of her face intensifying.

"Heh nailed it. I won't tell anybody, okay?"

"O-Okay… T-Thanks…"

"You know, if you hooked up with that whole Kola guy, you would be just like your grandparents…"

"Humm?"

"Small girl falls in love with a guy at least a head higher than her…" Angela chuckled.

"Heehee… I'm not that small, proportionally… My Grandma was a meter fifty when she met grandpa, and he already stopped growing, so he was a stable meter ninety five."

"So forty five centimeters disproportion."

"Uhum. But Grandma has a fantastic growth spurt, and she finished on a meter sixty five at the age of eighteen."

"Thirty centimeters dead at your age. That Kola guy looks like he's almost two meters… So the gap is not THAT big…"

Aya started giggling suddenly with great intensity.

"Aya, what's up now?"

"Heheheh… You know, we're talking about a man like two normal girls our age, heehee…"

"Oh yeah, you're right. Speaking of girls, I wonder what they're doing…"

The phone on the desk rang suddenly, making Aya jump on her chair. Angela picked up the receiver, and with a firm voice she said, "777th IFW."

She listened a second and answered, "Lieutenant Angela Bauer, currently acting commander… Yes, she is absent… Supply run… Yes… Wait, how many?! Okay sir! Affirmative!"

Aya looked tensely at Angela, and the latter calmly said, "Full combat alert, Aya. Twenty I-2's coming in from three-one-zero towards Kamyshin. Assemble everyone and move out."

Aya jumped off her chair, slammed her right foot against the floor, and saluted.

"Roger!" she shouted with a ferocious voice

She quickly ran up to the PA panel and tried to turn it on but the light beside the switch didn't come on.

"Fuck! I have to do it manually!"

"Go! I'm staying here."

Aya ran out of the room and zipped along the corridor shouting, "Combat alert!"

The first one to run out into the corridor was Sieglinde, already clothed for flight.

"Real deal?"

"Yes! Come and get everyone with me!"

"Roger, Aya!"

They quickly checked the gym, dining hall and bath, and the girls finally all assembled in the main lobby.

"The situation is as follows – 20 I-2 Type Neuroi are heading from the northwest towards Kamyshin. I don't have to clarify who's there?"

"Oh fuck…" Elwyn said.

"Indeed. Come on, we'll load ourselves upon the two cars that are left and go to the hangar. We'll take our basic weaponry, since we should be economic on the special ammunition. On me, girls!"

"Roger!" the girls responded immediately.

Five of them loaded into the 3151 and the other five into the 469, the first being driven by Aya and the second by Sieglinde.

 **Inside the UAZ-469**

"Hey, Sieglinde?" Elwyn asked.

"Yeah?"

"What got into Aya?"

"Heh… You see, in combat she's a total demon. In a battle of willpower and confidence, you would lose straight out. She'll probably try to kill all the Neuroi by herself, but I'll try to lead her away from that idea."

"Oh... Sounds… Odd…"

"Odd or not, that's just how Aya is. You all didn't even question her authority when she commanded you," Sieglinde made a smug face.

"Damn… You're right!"

"Heheh… Aya has that influence in battle."

"Just how powerful is she?" Elizabeth asked.

"That is a state secret. If Aya decides to go full out, your jaws will come off."

"Admirable…" Elizabeth murmured.

 **Inside the UAZ-3151**

"Aya?" Elsa asked.

"Yes?"

"I hope you won't kill all the Neuroi by yourself, riiiiiiiiiight?"

"If the situation needs it, I will do it, Elsa," Aya responded with a cold voice.

"Baw, bother… Don't be such a spoilsport…"

"Wait, killing twenty Neuroi alone?" Shinobu asked. "What kind of sorcery is that?"

"Aya may be socially awkward to the point that looking at her struggle to say a word may be painful, but in combat, hahah! You're in for a treat!"

"Reaaaaaally now? Then maybe let's make it a competition?"

"What's the bet?" Aya asked indifferently.

"The looser give the winner a foot rub."

"Pfff… Okay, deal. In case of a tie, we give our breasts to Giulietta for a bit of action."

"Woah, really?!" Giulietta cheered with sparkling eyes.

"A bit farfetched, but I agree," Shinobu said with a wide grin. "There's no way it will be a tie!"

Both the jeeps arrived before the hangar and the ten girls ran inside. Aya quickly found the panel and began opening the main doors. When they were mounting the Strikers, Tatiana threw a remark, "Good that we don't need control panels anymore, like those first generation jets. That would be a bother…"

"I have to," Aya said and pulled out a slightly bigger watch from her Launch Unit. "It's a prototype tailored especially for me, so I have to take heed when flying it," Aya explained with a monotone voice.

"No time for fucking around, ladies!" Sieglinde shouted. "If you've got any questions, ask them later! Arm yourselves and let's go!"

All of them quickly took their primary weapons and the hangar was filled with the sound of turbojets warming up.

"Witches, launch!" Aya roared and shot out of the hangar first, breaching the sound barrier in a matter of seconds.

"Aya, slow down, don't be so eager! There are others in the unit wanting some action!" Sieglinde said through the transponder.

"Okay…" Aya mumbled and stopped accelerating.

The rest caught up to her quickly.

"Wow! That was fast, Ayaya!" Nami cheered.

Aya didn't respond with a single word.

Nami tilted her head in wonder, but Elsa quickly flew up to her and whispered to her ear, "Aya's not exactly social when she's in battle mode…"

"Oh… Okay, thanks for the tip."

"No problem. A friend of Aya's is also my friend," Elsa grinned and flew away.

Not even a minute of flight later, they saw the Neuroi about twenty kilometers away on a high altitude. Aya looked at Shinobu, which in turn returned a fierce glare. They both nodded to each other and boomed forward. The enemy noticed their movement, and the jet plane shaped Neuroi quickly split.

"Not on my watch!" Aya yelled and disappeared from Shinobu's vision.

A split second later, two of the Neuroi exploded, and Aya appeared a kilometer farther.

"Cheater!" Shinobu shouted and pulled out Masakuni out of its saya.

The sword started glowing blue, and Shinobu started evading incoming fire. When the distance was right, she raised the sword and yelled, "UNYOU!"

She cut the Neuroi before her in half, but another one was lined up behind it, so using the momentum, Shinobu cut it too.

"Two-two!" Shinobu said to the transponder.

Three more sudden explosions bloomed in the air, and Aya once again changed her location abruptly.

"You were saying?"

"Damn it, fuck, shit!" Shinobu swore aloud and grabbed the hilt of her _other_ sword. "No… Not now… Too soon…" she whispered to herself.

An orange tracer round flew by her and hit one of the Neuroi, destroying it instantly.

"Woah, good job, Elizabeth!" Elsa cheered on the comms.

Sieglinde now zipped passed her and flared up in a tempest of magic. Two Neuroi that were close to each other were firing at her, but the beams plinked off her shields.

"STURM!" she roared and ripped the two enemies apart.

"Wow, they aren't pushovers…" Shinobu mumbled to herself. "Woah, shit, I'm three in the hole!"

Aya suddenly appeared beside her and pointed out to her right.

"Five," she said.

"All gods on Earth, what the fuck?!"

"I treat combat more seriously than you can imagine, Shinobu. But please, there's one heading for you from dead up, why don't you reduce that little gap in our score now?"

"What?" Shinobu said and looked up. "Woah shit!" she shouted and quickly shot a volley from her M2.

"Good job," Aya said. "Elsa, how about you show what you're made of?"

"Roger, Aya!"

The Karlslander shot forward with the two MG3 H1's raised. She picked out the swarm of the remaining seven Neuroi and shot a barrage straight into it. Afterwards, she managed to destroy three enemies and damage two other severely. Elizabeth took her chance and she shot the two down with two quick subsequent shots from her Light Fifty.

"I'll be damned…" Shinobu said quietly.

Tatiana finally kicked in as she raised the optics of her launcher to her eyes. A trained eye could hear the electronic low-pitched buzz coming from a single speaker mounted near the optics. After two seconds, the buzz became a shriek, and Tatiana pulled the trigger. A single 9M39S air-to-air rocket was launched with a deafening roar. It soared through the air with the speed of 700 meters per second and ripped a Neuroi to shreds.

The two remaining Neuroi took a course for Aina and Marie. Aina drew her enormous revolver and steadily aimed at one of the enemies.

"Do you feel lucky today, punk?" Aina said with a gruff voice and pulled the trigger.

It recoiled fiercely, but the .44 caliber round hit the Neuroi dead in the core on the tip of its nose, making it explode.

"Pow! Right in the kisser!" Aina cheered. "Hey, what is it, Marie?"

"I… I never fought a Neuroi directly… I'm scared…" Marie said as she shivered on her whole body.

"Perkele!" Aina shouted and quickly grabbed Marie by the hands, adjusting them into a firing position. "Adjust your sights and just shoot the damn thing in the nose, come on!"

"But…"

"No buts, I'll keep you safe!"

"Okay!"

Marie looked through the iron sights of her FAMAS and shot a quick burst at the enemy. The bullets hit everywhere but at the core.

"One more!"

Marie shot another volley at the Neuroi, this time missing completely. Aina was already raising her revolver, but the Neuroi suddenly exploded, ripped apart from a hail of bullets from Elwyn's M60E2.

"Early bird gets the worm, gals!" she smirked.

"No more enemies in our proximity," Aya said on the comms. "Unit, back to base."

"It's over…" Shinobu mumbled. "I guess I lost fair and square," she said and looked towards Aya.

"Um… Yes…" Aya said shyly.

"I guess you have reverted to your everyday personality. I'll give you such a foot rub that you'll squeal for more!" Shinobu shouted.

"Heehee… You don't have to do it, you know… I was actually joking…"

"Joke or not, a bet is a bet," Shinobu said firmly.

"Then… Um… Maybe we give a foot rub to each other?"

"If you insist…"

Aya's smile disarmed Shinobu and she turned around hastily.

"Hey, Aya, is that you and the girls over our position?" Ellie's voice sounded suddenly on the comms.

Aya quickly looked to the ground and saw the ZIL-131 down under on the road.

"Um, yes, ma'am…"

"Nice fireworks show, good job!"

Despite not being praised face-to-face, Aya almost burned up on her face immediately.

"T-T-T-Thank y-you ma'am!"

"When I'll get back in a few minutes, I'm awaiting a full report from you, okay?"

"Y-Yes ma'am! R-Returning to b-base immediately!"

"Hohoooo, I guess our dear commanders witnessed the battle involuntarily…" Elsa said.

"Mhm… L-Let's go back."

"What Aya said!" Sieglinde shouted. "Let's go back and greet our commanders properly!"

"Roger!" the girls responded and zipped back to the base.

* * *

 **9M39S missile – basically an improved Igla missile**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	11. Chapter 11 - …rest harder

Chapter 11 - …rest harder

* * *

 **Inside the ZIL-131**

 **3 kilometers from Lebyazhye**

"Damn, that Aya sure does her killing efficiently," Katie said and nodded her head.

"The rest aren't paper pushers either. Shinobu did her job nicely, and your cousin also had some good kills."

"Yup! I'm proud of that squirt!"

"Heh, she's not a squirt now. She has bigger boobs than you," Ellie smiled wryly.

"Well, I guess she got the boobs, and I've got the looks…" Katie shrugged.

Ellie's face expression showed she wanted to chuckle, but she restrained herself with all her will power not to.

"Menda (Bitch)…" Katie grumbled.

"Naprawdę powinniśmy gadać więcej po Lehicku pomiędzy sobą (We really should talk Lehish more around ourselves) …" Ellie sighed.

"Oj tam, nie po to uczyłaś się brytola żeby teraz brzęczeć po naszemu, hje (Oh now, you didn't learn Brit just to rumble around in our language, heh)…"

"Hahaha! Okay, let's go… Katarzyna…" Ellie chuckled.

"Shut up, I hate my full name…" Katie mumbled sourly.

"Heh…"

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Hangar**

All the girls were docking their Strikers into their Launch Units.

"Hey, Aya, you didn't really show us your full potential, you know?" Elwyn asked.

"Um… Well… I didn't need to…"

"But your _potential_ sure increased…" Tatiana said and suddenly poked Elwyn in the right breast.

"Waaaaaah!" Elwyn shrieked and turned around, guarding her pair.

Aya tilted her head in wonder and asked, "Umm? What's g-going on?"

"Ah, Aya, you weren't there when Clarke told us this… So…"

"No, Sieglinde, I'll tell her myself. Oh, and the sleeping pair too. You see…"

Therefore, Elwyn told them the story behind her miraculous breast growth.

"Oh, I see…" Aya said with an uneasy face. "B-But its nice t-that you trusted us…"

"All thanks to Sieglinde."

"Shush, I just gave you a push in the right direction…" Sieglinde mumbled with her cheeks ablaze.

The blaring of a horn was heard and the flatbed truck came into sight.

"Yay, our commanders!" Elsa cheered.

"And what are you cheering on about?" Kola's voice was suddenly heard from the side of the hangar. "You'll be the one hauling everything inside."

"Aaaaaaaw… You're right…"

"Oh, but I will help!" Nami said cheerfully and patted Elsa on the back.

"Heh thanks…"

The truck stopped in front of the hangar and turned around hundred and eighty degrees. Ellie peeked out of the cabin and said, "Everyone, get into the cars and let's go back, there's nothing on this truck that will be stored here. Kola, hop onto the back!"

"Yeah…" he sighed and ran towards the truck.

"Let's get going then," Sieglinde said. "Same way as before?"

"Oh, I wanna drive!" Elsa raised her hand.

"I wouldn't let you drive a wheelbarrow!"

"Bawww…"

"Can I do it then?" Elwyn asked.

"Any experience?"

"I can drive my pa's pickup truck blindfolded," Elwyn said, proudly exposing her chest forward.

"I guess that could do. Okay, you drive then," Sieglinde said. "Ah, wait!" she shouted and waved towards the truck.

"What is it?" Katie said as she peered out from the trucks window.

"Can you take two more with you? The jeeps will be crowded with four people in the back seat."

"I can go!" both Nami and Elsa cheered at the same time.

The two looked surprised at each other, but then they both grinned widely and jumped into the back of the truck.

"The two seem to like each other already…" Tatiana noted. "Nothing special happened while I was sleeping?"

"Beside the sudden revelation about Elwyn's boobs, pretty much nothing," Giulietta said.

"Well, there was ONE thing, but I'll tell it to ya later," Elwyn mused.

"Okay."

The girls loaded themselves onto the soviet made jeeps and they escorted the truck towards the entrance of the main building. After parking and disembarking, all of them gathered at the back of the truck.

"Now, ladies and one gentleman, we should unload all this stuff," Katie said. "I'll be coordinating everything, while Ellie goes and sees if the base didn't burn down inside or anything."

"Oh shush, stupid. I'll just be relieving Angela."

"That too…" Katie said with an overdramatic whisper, causing the girls to giggle. "Well anywho, Elsa, take the crate marked as _fragile_."

"Okay!"

Katie started coordinating with such passion, that everyone just had to move something off the truck.

 **Commander's office**

A knock on the door was heard, towards which Angela answered, "Come in."

Ellie came in and Angela immediately shot off her chair and saluted.

"At ease, Angela. How was it?"

"Can I tell the simple truth, ma'am?"

"Sure."

"Boring."

"Hah, as I thought. You probably wanted to take part in the battle, but you were afraid to leave Aya on the phone?"

"Yes, exactly."

"But I actually saw her and the rest in combat from down below. My God… If that's not talent, what is? I have to call in Aya, Sieglinde, and Shinobu for a debriefing. After they end with the unloading of the truck of course. Now, let me sit down on my chair, I'm dead tired…"

"Of course!" Angela said and moved aside.

"Thanks. You can go and help the rest now, if you want. Or you can rest."

"Ma'am, did you ever see a soldier of Karlsland shirking from work?"

"Dunno. All I saw were Orussians and Lehs."

"Heh, well I will go and help my comrades of course."

"Tell the three what I want from them, okay?"

"Roger."

Angela left the room and went down the corridor. She already saw that the girls were busy moving stuff towards the dining hall, but Aya was moving in her direction with a big carton.

"Oh, hi, Angela."

"Hi, Aya. You're doing stuff too?"

"Sure! It's nice to do SOMETHING…"

"You're going to the office?"

"Yeah, why are you asking?"

"Oh, nothing. Carry on."

"Kay."

Angela went her way, and Aya knocked on the door.

"Come in," she said.

Aya opened the door and said, "Umm… Miss Katie said t-this is yours…"

"Ah, thank you, Aya. Please, dump it on the desk."

"Right."

Aya placed the carton on the desk and Ellie asked, "Angela told you anything?"

"Not yet..."

"Just in case I'll tell you personally – after you finish, get Sieglinde and Shinobu here with you. I'm going to debrief you."

"O-Okay, ma'am."

"Now scoot, I have to unpack this stuff."

"Okay…"

Aya went out into the corridor, where Angela was waiting for her.

"Come on, Aya; let's see if something's left for us."

"Mhm."

The main lobby now looked like a moor, with the girls moving steadily in and out with cartons full of unknown goods.

"Ah, Aya, you delivered the goods?" Katie asked.

"Y-Yes ma'am."

"Okay, come on, there's still stuff to carry. Oh, and there's your friend too. The more the merrier!"

Aya took a crate and she heard a distinct clink of glass bottles. She looked suspiciously at Katie, but she replied, "What? We're legal, and we're officers. At least Katie, Kola and I, scratch the officer part on him, heheh… Be careful, it's glass obviously."

"Okay…"

Aya moved on towards the dining hall, passing some of the girls. When she was entering the room, she bumped into something. The crate she held slipped out of her hands and she herself started slowly falling back. But as suddenly as that happened, she and the crate stopped falling. She looked up and saw Kola smiling at her and holding what she dropped.

 _He… He… HE… HE'S HOLDING ME!_

Aya felt as her face was already red as the finest borsch, and Kola added insult to injury.

"My, my, _devushka,_ you should watch where you're going."

"I… I… I… I…"

"Hey, Casanova, stop molesting Aya and move aside," Sieglinde said gruffly from the inside.

"What she said," Angela chimed in from behind Aya.

"N-No, g-girls, y-you don't have to… I-It's okay…"

Sieglinde stared fiercely at Kola, but she suddenly sighed and just squeezed past him.

"Okay, stand straight," Kola said.

Aya checked her position and stood firmly on her own two legs. Kola then gave her the crate and asked, "Should a girl like you really lug such heavy crates?"

"I…"

"She's a witch, and she has strength enhancing magic. Also, she's diligently training, so she's not the average hausfrau," Angela explained calmly.

"Ah, I understand then. Well, back to work," Kola said and went his way.

Aya exhaled and said, "Angela… I really think I'm in love… I almost forgot how to breathe…"

"Heh, see? Okay, you go back to work too, or we'll stall the rest unnecessarily."

"Kay!"

The two moved inside and placed the crate in the cool pantry. Afterwards, they repeated the same with a few other crates, and finally none were left.

"Good job girls!" Katie shouted cheerfully before all of them. "And Kola."

"Of course…" he said.

"Now, you're all free to do whatever you want, since you already had some attractions today. But don't miss dinner!"

"Roger!" they all responded.

"Come on, Shino, Sigi, we have to go to the commander," Aya said.

"What's it about?" Shinobu asked.

"Debrief."

"Ah, okay, we're going then I guess."

Sieglinde was the one that knocked on the door.

"Come in," Ellie responded and Sieglinde opened the door letting the two in before herself.

"Ah, you're here. Very good! Sieglinde, close the door."

She nodded, closed the door behind herself, and stood beside her comrades.

"Now, detailed report please. Who will be the best to do so?"

"I think Aya," Sieglinde said with a smug face. "But please, I hope you're proficient with your report writing, ma'am."

"Oh? Sounds intriguing. Hit me, Aya."

Aya's face expression changed and she started giving a report. Ten minutes later, with fingertips bleeding from express banging on the typewriter, Ellie said, "Finished… Ugh… You could have given me a better warning, Sieglinde…"

Sieglinde only smiled wryly and said, "Aya, patch our commander up."

"O-Okay!"

Aya put her hands above Ellie's hand and a ball of blue magic appeared. After a few seconds, it disappeared, and Ellie looked at her fingertips.

"Wow, good as new. But… Doesn't your familiar manifest?"

"Errrrrrrmmmm… K-Kuro doesn't manifest h-himself externally, because it would be u-unsettling…"

"Ah, yes, he's a dragon… That would look a bit too ferocious for some. Well, anyway, thanks for this debiliatingly extensive report."

"T-Thank you… I think…"

"God… A ten-page report for a five-minute battle… You sure didn't consider desk work?"

"I did…" Aya mumbled. "B-But my superiors thought o-otherwise after I showed my f-full potential…"

"Well, that was predictable. So, Sieglinde, you probably trained the girls, right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"And how are they?"

"On average in good shape, since everyone was in active duty prior to coming here. But I was unable to judge the two night witches."

"Why don't you do it after dinner then?"

"Good idea, ma'am. The four of us from Karlsland were going to do their usual training anyway."

"Very good. Now the last thing I wanted to talk about... Shinobu?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"You did hesitate a bit when you wanted to use your second sword. May I know the reasoning behind your action?"

"Err… Nagareboshi is special, ma'am…"

"Special you say? So that particular time wasn't enough for you to deploy it?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Heh, it sure is special it seems… Okay my dear ladies, you're free for the rest of the day, you most definitely deserved it."

"Roger!" the three saluted and cheered.

"Dismissed, I want to play with my new toy," Ellie smiled.

Aya tilted her head, and Ellie answered immediately, "Well, I see you're curious. I'll be a good friend and show you already."

"Oh, please… I wasn't…"

"Your eyes are simply burning with the flame of knowledge! No buts!"

"Yes ma'am…" Aya replied almost inaudibly with a red face.

Ellie leaned under her desk and she took a carton from the floor. She put it on the desk and simply ripped it apart at the corners.

"A radio?" Shinobu asked while looking the flat rectangular radio in a wooden case, accompanied by two freestanding speakers.

"Not just any radio! It's the Amator-Stereo DSS201, produced by the Diora company in Dzierżoniów!" Ellie shouted, bursting with pride.

Aya's eyes opened wide and only the inability to do so stopped her from shooting rainbows from them.

"So… So… This is that radio set popular in Lehistan?!"

"Woah, you sure are lively, hahaha! Yes, this is the most popular radio set in my country up to date," Ellie said proudly. "I see you know your electronics, Aya."

Aya nodded affirmatively that a normal person would get a neck cramp by now.

"Okay, then you do the honors."

"R-Really?!"

"Yup, go at it."

Aya looked frantically for a power outlet, and just as she found it, she took the radio and speakers and plugged the power plug into the outlet. She pushed the square button above a ~ symbol and the backlight came on.

"Oooooooh! Green, the 2c revision!" Aya cheered.

"My, you REALLY know your electronics... Okay, gimme a tune, Aya."

Aya quickly moved the dial on the right and some classical music sounded from the speakers.

"Not half bad… But there's something even better than this in the stuff you all moved around…"

"Better than a radio… No!"

"Shush, don't spoil it! You sure are showing those hundred ninety IQ points, heh…"

"How many?!" Shinobu shouted in wonder. "And I thought that I was good with my 140…"

"That isn't that bad, Shino… You are in the top five percent anyway," Aya gave off a disarming smile.

"Well, I suppose so."

"Scoot already you three, shoo!" Ellie waved them off.

"Roger!" the three cheered and ran out.

"So, Aya, what will you be doing now?" Shinobu asked.

"Umm… Before dinner I usually just lie down and read a book..."

"Not the most social of past times but okay. I thought we would do _that_ thing already…"

"Oh… That thing… Uhm… Well, okay then. I guess there's still some time for reading…"

"That thing?" Sieglinde asked.

"I lost a bet, and now I have to give Aya a foot rub. But she proposed we do one each other, so…"

"A foot rub is okay I guess… I'll go catch some fresh air."

They wandered to the door to the bedroom, but Aya peeked through the door and immediately stepped back.

"What is it, Aya?"

"T-T-T-T-Too much p-p-people for s-s-something so i-i-intimate!" Aya said with a face as red as the Soviet flag.

"Oh, I see… Then if everyone is here, we should go to the bath… Yeeees… A hot bath and a foot rub… What do you say, Aya?"

"That sounds… nice. Let's go get our bath supplies then."

"Maybe just me then, you'll cause too much of a stir. If you of course don't have anything against me rummaging your luggage."

"No, nothing against it… Just be good with Angela."

"Yeah, yeah…" Shinobu said and entered the room.

Aya went down the corridor and leaned against the wall near the entrance to the bath.

 _"_ _I haven't had a bath with Shinobu in… errr… crap, it was when she was there then… But I can't pinpoint an exact date. Anyway, long fucking time ago. I hope I will not flip when we start rubbing… Gaaaaaaaaah! What am I thinking of?! Jesus Christ Almighty! Damn Sieglinde and her weird bisexual implications! Damn Ko… heh… heheh… He sure is a manly man… I wonder if he's single? But… Why am I even thinking of this? I barely know him, yet I behave like a girl from high school! Oh wait… I actually am one… Sigh…"_

"Hey, Aya," Shinobu's voice sounded above her suddenly.

She looked up and saw Shinobu smiling at her, holding towels and whatnot.

"Oh, Shino. No problems on your end?"

"Nope, nothing I couldn't handle with my tongue."

"That sounded…"

"Oh shut up and let's get this on with…"

"Heehee…"

The two moved into the undressing room and Shinobu simply started pulling off her uniform.

"This feels a bit weird…"

"Why?"

"I mean… In the Bundeswehr, we don't have big baths… We just use showers… Individually… Towels and stuff…"

"You're shy to undress before me, is that it?"

"Um… A bit…"

"Come on, Aya, we're friends here. Only us girls. Besides, from what I could have see while you're in your sleeping attire, you don't have anything to be ashamed of."

"R-Really?"

"Duh!"

"Well, okay then…"

Aya undressed herself to her undergarments, and Shinobu said, "You don't think that bathing in those will be awkward?"

"Give me a bit…"

"Kay, kay…"

Aya took a deep breath, and pulled of her bra and panties in under five seconds.

"Now now…" Shinobu said and nodded. "Just looking at your body should be enough to pass every physical exam."

"Oh please… I'm not even half of what Sigi developed… And you look good yourself, heehee…"

"Grandma would get a stroke if I were a slacker, hahaha!"

"Hey, was that the trademark Sakamoto laugh?"

"Yup! Just like my Grandma! Now, let's hit the showers!"

They went under the showers, and afterwards they dipped themselves in the hot water of the bath.

"Oooooooooooh… Hooooow gooooood…" Aya moaned from pleasure.

"Indeeeeeeed…" Shinobu moaned along. "So, want that foot rub already?"

"Please…"

Shinobu made a wry smile and submersed her hands.

"Wah…" Aya shouted briefly and silently as Shinobu touched her thighs. "That tickles… And that's a bit too high for a foot rub…"

"Heh, sorry, I had to tease you a bit… Well now, let's move those naughty hands of mine to their rightful position."

Shinobu moved her hands and carefully grabbed Aya's right foot.

"Mmmm… It's pleasant…" Aya mumbled as Shinobu proceeded on.

"A skilled warrior should know how to relieve himself and others," Shinobu smiled.

Aya chuckled to those words.

"Ara, ara (My, my)…" Shinobu sighed. "Anata wa kakushin shite kurōzetto no chikandesu… (You sure are a closet pervert)"

"Sore ga tame ni Sigi no subetedesu (It's all because of Sigi)…" Aya murmured.

"Oh! You've brushed up on the language! How nice!"

"Heh… It would be a bit weird if I wasn't fluent in Fusogo, given my heritage…"

"Well, it would be… And what do you mean that it's all Sieglinde's fault?"

"She's just so horny… I'm wondering if she's really bi or straight L…"

"Guess she's still a virgin though?"

"From what I now yes…"

"And you?" Shinobu smiled wryly, making Aya red like a tomato.

"I… I… K-Kola h-holding me t-today was the f-first time a m-man held me…"

"Wait, what now?"

"I was about to fall an… he held me…"

"Oh, okay."

"And you, Shino?"

"What me?"

"Did you… with a man…"

"B-B-Bullshit! A warrior doesn't need love to thrive!"

"I didn't say anything about love, Shino…"

"Either way – no," Shinobu grumbled with a face as equally red as Aya's.

She continued with the rubbing, and Aya took over.

"Hmmm… I wonder if I should use my medical knowledge on you…"

"Medical knowledge?"

"Well, I could cause you immense pleasure with just a foot rub… As a thanks for being my friend for example…" Aya said with a sultry voice.

"Gods, Aya, stop this wickedness!"

"Heehee… No, but seriously, do you want a premium foot rub or a normal one?"

"I'll take the normal one for now. I have to earn the premium one, shouldn't I?"

"If you say so…" Aya shrugged and moved on with the rubbing.

"Mmmmhhhhn… Aaaayaaa… Are you sssure you're not doing the ooooother one?" Shinobu moaned and squiggled from pleasure.

"Heh… I wanted to give you a free sample anyway," Aya winked.

"Geez… Nice sample… But please, go on normally…" Shinobu said breathing heavily.

"Everything for my friend," Aya smiled and continued _normally_.

* * *

After everything, the two returned to the bedroom. Sieglinde glared intensely at Shinobu, and surprisingly, Giulietta did so for both of them.

"What?" Shinobu asked pretentiously.

"You look as if you were _done_ …" Sieglinde said with furled eyebrows.

"You must have mistaken me for yourself. Or for the Romagnan for that matter," she nodded towards Giullietta, making the latter look away immediately.

"Or maybe… Ayaaaaaaaaa! That was supposed to be special!" Sieglinde moaned in protest.

"Shino was my friend before I even met you…" Aya puffed her cheeks.

"Well okay… At least now I know what happened."

"What happened?" Elwyn asked.

"Not your damn business, thunder tits."

"T-T-Thunder tits…" Elwyn said in disbelief and her eyes started shining with tears.

"Hey, hey, no need to cry over just one remark!"

 _"_ _Mmmmm… Mmmmm… Ah, I have to do it!" Aya panicked._

Aya quickly ran up to Elwyn and hugged her.

"No need to cry, Elwyn… You want to know what we were doing?"

"Uhuh…"

Aya whispered into her ears, so that Elwyn's face went red.

"Dayum… Okay, thanks for the heads up. And f-for the hug…"

"Heehee… Your boobs are very soft. I liked hugging you."

If Elwyn's face was simply red before, now it was deep carmine.

"Come on, Aya, just relax after the bath," Angela sighed.

"O-Okay…"

Aya complacently went to her bunk and simply lied down with her hands under her head.

 _"_ _That Elwyn is really a nice girl… I wonder if we can be friends? But I'm feeling a bit sleepy… Kuro?"_

 _"_ _Yes, Mistress?"_

 _"_ _The usual please…"_

 _"_ _Have a good sleep, Mistress."_

She closed her eyes and dozed off.

* * *

"Daaaaaw… How cute…" Elizabeth mused.

"I guess it's a typical Aya Afternoon Nap," Elsa said.

"A what now?" Aina asked.

"Heh, the nap expert speaks… Aya's familiar shuts her off, so to speak. We can make a military parade around her, and she'll still be sleeping."

"Oh? Why does she use her familiar?"

"She doesn't want to be a burden…" Angela sighed. "A bit escapist, but if she wants to do so…"

"It's a bit sad," Tatiana stated. "But everyone has their cross to bear I guess."

* * *

The girls procrastinated until dinner, which turned out a true feast.

"Honest work is reworded with honest rations!" Katie said proudly.

After they ate, Ellie said, "Now, a surprise for all of you. I don't think all of you will be satisfied, but whatever now. Aya, see the two cartons by the wall?"

"Yes…?"

"Put them on a free table and unpack them."

"O-Okay!"

Aya ran to the two cartons and took both of them at the same time. She placed both on a free table and unpacked the smaller one.

"Oh? Another radio?"

"Same type," Ellie said. "This one's for everyone to use. For the time being, I guess having it in your room would be the best option, but I'm thinking of a _replacement_ ," she winked.

"Oh… A replacement… So… A co…"

"Don't spell it out loud! Sheesh, that noggin of yours sure is working overtime…"

"I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to be. Now, open the second one."

"Okay."

She ripped apart the second carton, and she saw a TV set in a bronze wooden case.

"Wooooooooow… A _Jowisz 05_!"

"Produced by the Warsaw Television Works!" Elwyn added.

Aya and Elwyn looked at each other amazed and then nodded affirmatively.

"I guessed we need some entertainment, so I brought it here. Set it up, Aya."

"Oh, can I help?!" Elwyn asked while moving her eyes between Ellie and Aya.

"Sure you can," Ellie smiled.

Aya only nodded affirmatively and Elwyn approached her. They silently set up everything, and Elwyn whispered, "Why don't we turn it on together?"

"A-As in both of us at t-the same time?"

"Uhum."

"O-Okay…"

Elwyn place her index finger on the red button turning on the device, and Aya, a bit hesitantly, placed her finger on Elwyn's.

"Three… Two… One…" Elwyn counted down. "Go."

They both pressed the button and the kinescope came on.

"Well… For now, the display looks like Detroit in the sixties…" Kola said with a sarcastic grin while looking at the static on the screen.

"Um… Ma'am, w-was this TV u-used?" Aya asked.

"Yeah, it's second-hand. Why are you asking?"

Without answering, Aya just pressed one of the channel buttons and picture with sound came up.

"Still a bit on the snowy side," Kola said.

"Ah, I know!" Elwyn cheered and pulled off an antenna off the back of the TV.

She plugged it into a port and the picture immediately improved. The girls looked at the screen, where currently a cartoon was displayed. An anthropomorphized wolf dressed like a stilyagi was chasing an anthropomorphized cute rabbit, but the formers plan was foiled by another anthropomorphized animal, a hippo constable. The wolf shouted "Zajac, nu pogodi!" and the credits came in.

"Yay! That was fun!" Marie cheered.

"Yeah!" Elsa chimed in.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Elsa?" Sieglinde asked.

"What?"

"Training time."

"Baaaaawww… Okay… Come on, Aya…" Elsa muttered.

"Coming."

"You two," Sieglinde pointed at Aina and Tatiana. "You're going with us."

"And how will you exactly make us go?" Tatiana asked.

"If I say I want the two of you evaluated, then what say you?"

"Evaluated? Gospodin, the Karlslanders and their tables and numbers…" the Orussian sighed profoundly "For the sake of my peace, I'll go."

"I can also go, if you want," Aina said and yawned.

"Yes, I want it. Let's get dressed and proceed," Sieglinde said.

"The rest of you, as stated earlier, have free time, with restrictions listed earlier," Ellie said. "Oh, and don't overheat the TV please, it cost me an arm and a leg, despite it being used…"

The Karlslanders and the night witches went out, and Elwyn started toying with the TV.

"Hmmm… This looks like ARD, but it's snowing like hell… And… Woah, something in Britannian but… Meeeh, the sound and picture quality…"

"If you want, I can make a new antenna for tomorrow," Kola said.

"Oh really?!"

"Yeah, really. Just give me some time, and you'll have something that could probably catch a signal from Liberion!"

"Thanks in advance!"

"Yeah, yeah… Go back to watching Orussian broadcast; the cartoons mostly don't have voiceovers anyway."

"Kay!"

"One box and so much fun…" Katie shook her head.

"When we were young, we only needed a stick and a stove lid to have fun, huh?" Ellie smirked.

"Bah, hahahaha!"

 **3 hours later**

 **Gym**

"That's it for today, girls!" Sieglinde said loudly.

With that, Aina simply fell flat on the floor, with Tatiana simply sitting beside her out of breath.

"I though… this would be… evaluation… not… execution…" Aina mumbled.

"Standard Bundeswehr Physical Examination Procedure," Sieglinde shrugged. "I'm surprised you followed through. You sure you're not Specnaz, comrade?"

"Even if I were, I can't exactly tell it, right?" Tatiana rebuked.

"Guess not. But looking at you, I wouldn't imagine you would pull through my evaluation," Sieglinde looked at Aina.

"Uh, yeah… The doctors said… that it would be better… if I keep my body in shape…"

"So your narcolepsy doesn't worsen?" Angela asked.

"Yeah… It works…"

"Hah! A fit body is always good for ya!" Sieglinde shouted proudly.

"You're all in shape from what I see…" Tatiana said while looking around.

"We take our jobs as soldiers seriously," Angela said with a smile.

"You know what my Grandma said in such occasions? Train hard, rest even harder!" Elsa cheered. "Bath time!"

"I doubt she had that in mind…" Sieglinde muttered and looked at Aya.

"Um… I bathed today so… Errr… I'll just take a sh-shower when you'll all be in the bath…"

"Kay," Angela said.

"Coming?" Sieglinde asked the two on the floor.

"Suuuure…" Aina muttered but just a second later she fell asleep.

"Seriously…" Sieglinde sighed. "Elsa, take her with us, we'll wake her up the Karlslander way!"

"Aw, seriously? Come on…" Elsa mumbled.

"Just do it."

"Kaaaaaay…"

Elsa hoisted up Aina from the floor and said, "Bleeeeh, she's wet like a dog in a monsoon…"

"You'll get clean yourself anyway. But… Hey, Aya, did you scoop up where the laundry room is?" Sieglinde asked.

"Um… No…"

"No problem, I'll inquire about that," Angela said and ran away.

"Aya, you get our stuff, okay?" Elsa asked.

"Get it yourself, you slacker."

"No, it's okay," Aya said with a smile and went on after Angela.

While going down the corridor, she peeked through the open door to the dining hall and saw that most of the girls were watching TV. She went on to the bedroom and opened the door. Mildly loud music fell into her ears, and she saw that the radio was under the window, with the green illumination on.

There was only one person in the room, and she didn't notice Aya yet, being immersed in her Batman comic.

 _"_ _I guess skulking around isn't an option, despite the radio playing… I might as well just go and fetch the stuff…" Aya thought._

Aya slowly walked to her bed and took her supplies, and then Elsa's. Afterwards, she took those of the other two and just as she turned around towards the door, a voice startled her.

"Hey, Aya…"

"WAH!" Aya shouted and jumped up.

"Sorry, sorry!" Elwyn apologized quickly. "I didn't intend to scare you!"

"Oh, okay… I understand…"

"Thanks for comforting me earlier…"

"Um… No problem…"

"Probably took a lot of you to just hug a stranger, huh?"

"Well… Uh… We're not TOTAL strangers… I mean… You know…"

"Yeah, we're connected in a peculiar way…" she said with a dreamy voice. "Say, you sure know your way around electronics."

"Oh, pshaw… I needed some kind of hobby, and since mechanics are slowly getting moved on the backburner, I chose electronics…"

"Right?! Microchips are the damn future! Transistors are justice!"

"Eheheh, I'm not that much of an enthusiast…"

"Heh… Taking a bath again?"

"No, I'll just take a shower…"

"Now wanting to reveal yourself too much yet?"

"Yeah…"

"Won't blame you, I know that pain… Okay, go now, Aya. Oh, crap, I didn't even ask you if I can call you that…"

"No problem… E… Elwyn…"

"I think this is the beginning of a friendship…"

Aya only blushed heavily and ran away.

 _"_ _F-F-Friendship! Oh my God! A new friend! Oh my oh my oh my…" Aya stumbled around in her mind._

She almost bumped into Tatiana in the corridor, but the Orussian dodged her swiftly.

"Hah, not so hasty, comrade!" Tatiana said jokingly.

"S-S-Sorry!"

Aya ran over to her comrades and gave them their bath supplies.

"I'll wait, okay?" Aya asked.

"If you want…" Sieglinde responded.

Aya just sat beside the door and watched the four go inside. She affixed her gaze towards the ceiling and waited.

 **Shower room**

"Okay, Elsa, place her on the floor so she doesn't topple," Sieglinde said.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to tell me how to do it…"

She took Aina from her back and put her in a faux yoga position, so she wouldn't move.

"You do the rest…" Elsa mumbled. "I don't have the heart to do it…"

"Suit yourself," Sieglinde said with a devilish grin and turned the cold handle of the shower.

It took a few seconds, but Aina finally shrieked surprised and jumped to the side like a scared animal.

"W-W-What was that?!"

"A wake up," Sieglinde said indifferently.

"If you weren't superior in rank to me, I would fucking kill you on spot now…" Aina said with her voice filled with rage.

"What the fuck did I do?!"

"You really want to know? Fine! I almost fucking drowned in a lake in the winter when I was on a stroll with my brother. He saved me, but he drowned himself. End of story!"

 **Corridor**

"Oh my…" Aya said quietly as she heard everything from the corridor.

"What's happening?" Tatiana asked suddenly.

Aya shuddered but she somehow turned around and said, "N-N-Nothing…"

Tatiana looked at her suspiciously, but she simply entered the room after a shrug.

 **Shower room**

"And what about that?" Sieglinde asked.

"W…H… Oh yeah…" Aina calmed down. "You couldn't have possibly know… Jesus, I made a fool of myself… Sorry…"

"Shit happens. And… That wake up was kind of forced…" Sieglinde struggled with words.

"Translation – I'm sorry," Elsa said with a wry smile.

"Hahaha!" Aina laughed. "Okay, _apology_ accepted, heheh…"

"I see you're all having fun? Can I join in?" Tatiana asked.

"Depends on what you can contribute."

"Then maybe another time."

"Whatever," Sieglinde shrugged.

* * *

The rest of the day was very peaceful, comparing to the previous hours. The girls tended to themselves, then there was supper, and they went to their beds. The two night witches stormed into the night, and the rest slept peacefully. With some exceptions.

 **Commander's bedroom**

"Hey, Ellie?" Katie whispered.

"What, Katie?"

"I remember something."

"Oh?"

"Do you know what will be in three days?"

"Dunno, should I?"

"Well, it could boost the morale of the unit a bit."

"Tell me."

Katie went over to Ellie's bed and she whispered something that was barely audible even to herself.

"Really now? In three days?"

"Yup!"

"Then we have to do something nice on that occasion. Sleep tight, Katie."

"Yeah, night, Ellie."

* * *

 **The cartoon mentioned was of course "Nu, pogodi!"**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	12. Chapter 12 – Unexpected paperwork

Chapter 12 – Unexpected paperwork

* * *

 **50 km SE of Lebyazhye**

 **3000 ASL**

 **0450 MSK**

 **18** **th** **January 1983**

"Another night to scratch down, comrade?" Tatiana asked her companion from Suomus.

"Indeed…" Aina yawned fiercely. "Ugh, my mouth will rip apart… We shouldn't have done such a big roundabout…"

"Well, we have to experiment, since we don't have a set objective… But I guess sleeping is your second and third name?"

Aina chuckled and said, "I would gladly name myself Aina Nukkuva Ruukilainen-Haraldsdotir just to keep it short, hahaha!"

"How was the awakening under the shower?"

"Ugh… Seriously, I wanted to rip that Kraut that did it to pieces…"

"You sure have a temper there, comrade."

"They struck a chord they shouldn't have… That's all I have to say," Aina answered with a neutral voice.

"Let the sleeping dogs lie…" Tatiana said quietly. "We're going back?"

"I guess it's time," Aina said after looking at her military watch with tritium-illuminated handles.

The two checked their bearings and went on to their base. After landing, securing their equipment and the hangar, they went towards the main building.

"Night strolls are surely something…" Aina said with a melancholic voice. "And the lampposts are working now, so the mood is almost perfect."

"And even if by some miraculous chance there would be some danger, we have our pistols," Tatiana winked.

"Speaking from experience?"

"The streets of Moscow at night are tricky…"

"What would a girl like you do on the streets of Moscow at night?"

"You have your secrets, I have mine," Tatiana smiled mysteriously.

"It seems everybody in this unit has a secret, traumatic experience or whatnot…" Aina sighed.

"Well, we're special in another way thanks to it, haha! Come on, Aina, let's hurry."

"And when the hell did we became such tight buds, huh?"

"We're working on the same shift, so we might as well ease up the communication process, right?"

"Ah, if it's about that, I suppose I could call you Tatiana… Or…" a devilish grin sprouted on her face. "Tanya!"

"For that, we have to drink first!" Tatiana said adamantly.

"You're looking up to a pro, you know…"

"Not drinking till we fall, stupid. Just a Bruderschaft …"

"Ooooh, yeah, I can do that… But do you have the necessary… Hmm… Supplies?"

"Did you ever see an Orussian without vodka?" Tatiana asked with a wide grin.

"Ah, then my body is ready!"

"See, we're already getting accustomed to each other! Our nations are cooperating with each other, and so should we both."

"Is it me, or did you lose your _comrade_ shtick?"

"I only use that to annoy those who I want to annoy," Tatiana shrugged.

"Ah… Figures…"

"What? You thought every Orussian talks that way? Hahaha!"

"In Soviet Orussia, you're on the joke it seems…" Aina shrugged nonchalantly herself.

Tatiana chuckled and said, "Oh stop, or we'll have troubles sleeping… On the other hand, no, wait, don't! Or I'll have to drag you again!"

"You had to drag me to bed? Jesus, how fucking embarrassing… Then let's run! I won't fall asleep suddenly if I'm in the middle of running!"

"Fine with me!"

The two quickly ran to the building and slowed down just before the door to the bedroom. Tatiana silently opened the door and let Aina in. After the witch from Suomus went in, Tatiana closed the door behind her. She saw that Aina quickly scuttled towards her own bunk, and just as she stood, so she slumped down on the matrass.

 _"_ _Heh, still an improvement over last time…"_

Tatiana looked towards the bunk of Aya, but this time she didn't see a single glint. After taking off her uniform, she crawled under the blanket and fell asleep.

 **1.5 hours later**

Aya opened her eyes and let them adapt to the darkness. The moon wasn't shining through the windows, rather it was shrouded by the clouds.

 _"_ _Mmmmm… Bother… I really don't have anything to do now… Jogging? Not the same indoors and outdoors isn't permitted… Kuro is compensating for the lack of my winter jogging, but I still wake up too early… Ugh…"_

Aya looked towards Sieglinde's bunk, and she saw that the Karlslander was looking at her from the edge, with her blanket lifted.

"Sigi… No…" Aya said quietly.

"Come on, Aya… I know you're on the fence whether what to do, now that you're awake at this hour."

"Mmmm… Oh okaaaaay…"

Aya silently went from under her blanket, and ever so stealthily jumped onto Sieglinde's bunk, and under her blanket. The two embraced each other, and Sieglinde said, "Sleep, Aya… I promise I won't do anything to you…"

"You've repeated that so often that I don't know if that's an established truth or you still plan on doing something, heehee…"

"Heh… No, really…"

"Go to sleep already…" Angela mumbled from down under.

"Soooorryyy…" both of them whispered back apologetically.

Aya tucked herself tighter into Sieglinde and drifted away.

 _"_ _My poor Aya… I'll protect you from all the evil of this world…"_ Sieglinde thought as she embraced Aya tighter and fell asleep herself.

 **0730 MSK**

Shinobu opened her eyes and saw something rather odd. Aya's bunk was empty, but instead, she saw her raven-black haired friend sleeping in one bed with Sieglinde. She leaned over down and pulled Nami by the sleeve of her t-shirt.

"Waaah… What is it…?" Nami mumbled.

"Do you see what I see?"

"It's still dark, Shinobu… You know your eyes are way better than mine…"

"Then I'll describe it – our friend Aya is sleeping under one blanket with her friend Sieglinde."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe they're just keeping warm… It is a bit brisk in the dead morning after all… Maybe we should do it too?"

"I'd rather freeze…" Shinobu grumbled.

"Awwwwww… Shinobu… I'm offended…" Nami pouted.

"I didn't mean it that way, sheesh… Sorry…"

"I hope… Hey, why don't we just ask them?"

"Well, we c…"

Shinobu suddenly saw movement, and Angela got out of her bed. She pulled on her socks and went over to Nami's bunk, sitting on the side.

"You're wondering why Aya is sleeping with Sieglinde?"

"Well, yeah?" Shinobu said.

"Either of us three doubles as a big, warm teddy bear. She usually sleeps with us when she has trouble doing so after an emotional day."

"So you act as natural sleeping pills?" Nami asked.

"Well, kind of," Angela answered with a smile.

"Phew, I and I had some weird thoughts…"

"Sieglinde would never go farther than a boob grab, I can assure you," Angela said with a stern face. "Aya is like a big and little sister to us all."

"Imouto and aneue at the same time?" Nami asked. "How?"

"Her childish part is what makes us want to hug her all day, and her decisiveness and prowess in battle make us look up to her."

"Aaaaah… Makes sense."

"We should start waking up everyone slowly," Shinobu said. "Right?"

"Yes, we should. I guess Sieglinde is really awake now, she just doesn't have the heart to move even one of her finely developed muscles not to wake Aya up."

"Oh, then I'll wake her up!" Nami cheered.

"Wai… Actually, you can go. You are her friend after all."

Nami pulled on her socks and went on the current resting place of Aya and Sieglinde. She leaned over on the top bunk, and saw Sieglinde almost begging her with her eyes to wake up Aya.

She smiled and started stroking Aya's hair.

"Ayayaaa…" she said silently. "Come on, wake up."

"Mwwwwwuuuuuh…" Aya mumbled and Sieglinde immediately closed her eyes, simulating sleep.

Aya turned around and looked up at Nami.

"Oh… Nami… Moooooooooooorning…." Aya yawned and smiled.

"Hiyaya!" Nami cheered and grinned.

"Heheh… Haven't heard that one for a looooooooong time…" Aya said and turned back to Sieglinde. "Oh? Siiiigi, waaakee uuup…" she proceeded with poking her bedmate.

"Oh… Hi, Aya…" Sieglinde said with a faked sleepy voice.

"You sure slept good, heehee…"

"Yeah…" Sieglinde said while looking around awkwardly.

Nami quickly escaped to her bunk, leaving the two.

"Hiyaya… I always have a laugh at that one…" Shinobu shook her head. "It seems that you placed your bet properly, Angela."

"Now I know how much Aya trusts the two of you outside battle. But I still have to assess how well you fare in combat with her…"

"If we would have actual combat training, I'm all hands on deck," Shinobu said.

"Maybe I should throw in a word towards the commander… Hmm, we'll see…"

"Who made you boss?" Shinobu asked.

"Oh please, we're returning to that already?"

"Don't think I'll just settle for this room like that, oh no!"

"Then why don't we simply ask our commander about the chain of command?"

"So simple… Okay, we both do it at breakfast!"

 _"_ _Almost as if an electrical arc is going between the eyes of the two, sheesh…"_

After thinking that, Aya looked over at Elsa. She was sleeping soundly as usual, with her mouth open like a crevice.

 _"_ _Oh not that again…" Aya moaned in the privacy of her own mind._

She jumped over to Elsa, but this time, the kinetic energy of the landing seemed to have done the job, as the sleepyhead started opening her eyes. She opened her eyes completely, looked at Aya, and quickly fell asleep again.

 _"_ _What…? Did she get infected with narcolepsy from that Aina girl? Jebus… Let's try something different than yesterday…"_

Aya leaned over Elsa, and started knocking on her forehead, as if it was a door. She was simply doing it mechanically, looking at the others in the meantime. Angela woke up Elwyn and Giulietta, and Aya's hand was grabbed.

"Ugh, I'm awake, I'm awake… Why do you torture me like this every time…"

"Because you could sleep through a nuclear blast…" Aya mumbled shyly.

"Whaaaaat… I just have a heavy sleep…"

"Veeeeery heavy, heehee. Okay, I'll go… wake up Marie…"

"Don't force yourself, Aya."

"I have to g-get along with everyone here… Somehow…"

Aya jumped down on the floor and walked up slowly towards the bunk bed occupied by Elizabeth and Marie. With a shaking hand, she delicately shook Marie by her right shoulder. After a few seconds, Marie mumbled, "Whhh… Mhhhhhnnmmm… Hrrrrmmm… Shweeep…"

"M-Marie… W-Wake up, it's m-morning…"

"Morning… Okaaaaaaay…" she yawned with her eyes still closed. "Aya, just a minute…"

"O-Okay…" she said silently and hoisted herself up to the top bunk. "Oh, y-you're awake…"

"Yes, thank you for your concern though," Elizabeth said in a polite tone, topping it off with a bright smile.

"H-Heh, o-okay… I'll be g-going my way…"

"You don't have to be afraid of me," Elizabeth said quietly, still smiling like before.

"It's not… Um… I…"

"You can always talk to me if you like, but I won't force you into anything, okay?"

"O-Okay…"

"Go now, I have to get dressed myself."

Aya nodded, jumped down, and went to her place, where she started to clothe herself.

 _"_ _This is unbelievable… I'm here only two whole days, and I already have two friends, and a third in wake! Just how… Marie didn't wait long, and she proposed to be my friend the same night we arrived here. Although she might have did that from pity, I doubt it somehow… She looks too honest to do something like that… And Elwyn? Well… Somebody that knows so much about electronics can't be a bad girl, right? She looks kinda cute in those specs of hers… My… And the last years I only talked to people other than Sigi, Elsie or Angela if I had to… Literally had to… What gives? Some kind of genetic memory passed on from my grandparents? Maybe that's the case why they are so friendly… The hell should I know… I just hope this isn't some kind of prank… If something would happened like back then… I don't know if Kuro would stop me from either genocide or suicide…"_

"Hey, Aya…" Elsa suddenly said.

"WAH!" Aya jumped up and turned around all scared, ripped out forcefully out of contemplation.

"Whoops, sorry, you were a bit away in your thoughts… Did you see my bra anywhere?"

"Um… How could I know that?"

"Could you pleeeaaase look under your bed?"

"Yeah…" Aya sighed and looked under the bed.

After a few seconds, she spotted Elsa's brassiere lying on the floor inconspicuously. Aya mumbled something unintelligible and grabbed the lingerie item.

"Here, dumbo…"

"Heh, thanks, Aya," Elsa said as she grabbed the bra from her.

"Hey, is that a C-cup?" Giulietta asked all of a sudden.

"You're asking me?" Elsa countered.

"Um… Yeah…"

"Elsa. I don't bite, contrary to Sieglinde, heheh…"

"Ah, okay, Elsa… So…"

"It's a C-cup, Giulietta. Mind if I call you that?"

"Yeah, sure…"

"You sure know your boobs, but given your heritage…" Elsa sighed.

"Well pfff… I could tell the sizes of all of you right now!"

"Oh?" Angela asked. "Hit me with mine."

"34DD."

"Indeeeeeed…"

"But you have about two centimeters advantage over your comrade."

"If only you used your observation skill for something useful…" Sieglinde sighed. "But enough about my knockers, how about Liberion under you?"

"Ummm… 34DD when she was bandaged up, but now she's an F!"

"Horrifyingly accurate…" Elwyn shuddered. "But before you start revealing the numbers of the rest, how about you tell us yours?"

"My ta-ta's? Proud and stout 34E, the biggest yet since my great-grandmother!"

"Sure is something to be proud of…" Sieglinde muttered.

"So anyway, a quick rundown of the rest – our commanders are both 34C, Marie here is 32B, which is a damn shame…"

"Hey, still better than nothing…" Marie pouted.

"…sleeping beauty has 32C's, her comrade in night flight has 32B's, our Brit has 32DD's, the giantess has 34DD's, her friend is one D short of her, and our taciturn combat genius has 34D's."

"Taciturn combat genius? Sure went around the bush with that one, ha!" Angela snickered.

"I would say it differently, but a certain third party wants to murder me with her gaze right now…"

Before anyone else looked at her, Sieglinde changed her oppressive look to her neutral one.

"What are you looking me at for?"

"Because we know you have a beef with Giulietta?" Elwyn asked.

"I just set a few ground rules with her, it's not like I want to kill her or anything."

"That choke hold back then kind of said the opposite…" Giulietta mumbled.

"Sigi, how could you…" Aya said with a sad voice. "Choking a sister-in-arms? Shame…"

"Aya… I… Please don't start crying…"

"What's this all of a sudden?" Shinobu whispered to Angela.

"Sometimes Aya's morals take over her agoraphobia, and she can be ruthless in executing justice."

"Ahhhh… Well, time to break out the popcorn…"

"If you don't apologize to Giulietta, I'll start crying for real…" Aya mumbled with a sad-puppy face.

"Aaaaayaaaaa… Please don't do this to me!"

Sieglinde threw a distressed look towards Giulietta and back at Aya. The latter's lower lip already started trembling.

"Aaaaaargh!" Sieglinde moaned, approached Giulietta's bunk with her hand extended upwards. "I'm only doing this for Aya."

"Of course you do…" Giulietta smirked and squeezed Sieglinde's hand. "I owe you one, Aya!"

"Oh… P-Please… Don't mention it…" Aya blushed fiercely and turned around.

Sieglinde seeing that pulled out her hand forcibly and went away to her bed.

"I should bonk you on the head…" she whispered to Aya angrily.

"Sigi, choking somebody? Please, I'm disappointed at you… Couldn't you just verbally persuade her not to do anything?"

"You know how I am…"

"Yes, Sigi, I know that you don't like to be touched by strangers… But really…"

"Okay, okay… I'll try to get along with her a bit better…" Sieglinde mumbled.

Aya's bright smile was enough for Sieglinde to know she was forgiven, but also that she now set her promise in stone.

"Let's go to the dining hall already…"

"Hey, that's mine to decide!" Shinobu said a bit loudly. "Come on everyone, let's start moving, or our commanders will cap our asses."

"Remember about what we talked about," Angela said.

"Yeah, yeah…"

As she said that, Tatiana suddenly sat on her bed.

"I'm hungry…" she mumbled.

"Me too…" Aina moaned, with her eyes still closed.

"You two should be asleep right now," Shinobu said sternly.

"I know, damn it…" Tatiana mumbled. "But we made a modification to today's patrol, and it seems the increased magic expenditure is taking its toll."

"Well, then come on with us you two. I guess you're excused from clothing properly, since you'll be going back to sleep afterwards, right?"

"Yes," Tatiana responded. "Aina, come on, off the bed with you."

"Kay, kay…"

The two put on just their socks and boots and joined the rest. The whole lot went into the dining hall, and they encountered Ellie drinking coffee with Kola, and Katie bustling around the kitchen, accompanied by the smell of bacon.

"The Lebyazhye Misfits Squadron reporting in for duty!" Shinobu shouted with a big grin.

"Don't you title us like some kind of penal company!" Angela yelled.

"Bahahahaha!" Ellie laughed out heartily. "At ease, kitties. Take your seats and wait for Katie to start serving breakfast."

"Um, there's one thing though…" Shinobu said shyly.

"…rather important for us..." Angela mumbled along.

"What is it?" Ellie asked, visibly curious.

"We still don't kind of grip the chain of command here…" Angela quickly blurted out.

"Aaaaah, I get it… Well, let me reiterate what I've said once already, maybe a bit more detailed… Basically, I'm the king, emperor, tsar, first secretary, and God Almighty here. After me, it's Katie, second to God, and be sure to remember that, she'll also take in your inquiries. After that, it's all of you, including Kola here. I don't give a damn about your rank or affiliation, you are all one rank in my eyes, and I will enforce that policy with full prejudice. The only exception is Shinobu, who you agreed to be your dorm mother. She has power over you in that room, but everything can be turned over with my or Katie's word."

"Heheheheh…" Shinobu laughed creepily.

"Ah snap… You win, I guess…" Angela said and extended her hand to Shinobu.

The two shook hands and Shinobu said, "Don't worry; I'll just keep discipline around."

"And I thought you would start a damn power struggle, given your personalities. Unexpected…" Kola said over his coffee mug.

"I don't have a problem with superiors if they're competent," Angela shrugged. "Are you competent, Shinobu?"

"I was the representative of my squad back in Fuso, so I guess…"

"Oh, now that's good…"

"And a good representative!" Nami cheered. "She was in the very few that had Sunday tea with the base commander!"

"I guess that's all the recommendations I need, heh…" Angela said with a smile. "But… What about a battle commander then?"

"I'll appoint them at a per-battle basis, but it most likely be Katie," Ellie said. "So don't break your heads over that matter, okay?"

"Yes ma'am."

The girls sat at their places, and then, Katie shouted, "Come and get it!"

"That was fast…" Elwyn mumbled.

"You go first, girls," Ellie said, "The three of us will eat last."

"My gut opposes," Kola said.

"And what happened to common courtesy towards women?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll wait," Kola grumbled.

"Oh, ma'am, I have an inquiry," Sieglinde raised her hand.

"Yes, Sieglinde?"

"Will we have a set itinerary for the coming days?"

"Want some ordnung in your life?" Ellie asked with a rebellious smirk.

"Of course!"

"After breakfast, please, let me think it through."

"Right, ma'am."

"Are you coming or not?!" Katie yelled angrily from the kitchen counter.

"Coming!" the girls shouted in unison.

"Oh, and what are you two sleepyheads doing here at this time?" Katie asked, looking at Aina and Tatiana, dressed rather informally.

"Hunger got the best of us, heh…" Aina laughed dryly.

* * *

Breakfast was eaten almost in complete silence, and afterwards, Ellie dispelled it.

"Tell me, who has to train physically?" she asked.

"We have to," Angela answered. "Extended Development Program of the Bundeswehr. Rigorous training twice daily, under the supervision of Sieglinde."

"Why her?" Katie asked.

"You really need an answer for that, ma'am?"

"The fact that she looks like Miss Olympia doesn't exactly qualify her for that, right?"

"I take that as praise anyway, ma'am," Sieglinde smiled. "I have second level physiotherapy technician papers. Furthermore, grade one instructor papers. I guess THAT qualifies me."

"Heh, indeed."

"So that's the four of you," Ellie said. "Anyone else?"

"I have to train at least once daily to stop my narcolepsy from worsening," Aina said.

"Same with me, but I'm simply obliged to do so by my army," Tatiana said.

"So half of you have to have PE," Ellie chuckled. "Any more?"

"We two," Shinobu raised her and Nami's hand. "Twice daily."

"That would be eight. My my, what a fit bunch I have… Okay, anybody else doesn't matter, you all will have mandatory training at morning after breakfast, and I'll give you a timeslot for voluntary training before dinner."

"Much appreciated, ma'am," Sieglinde said with a small smile.

"Bawwww…" Elwyn mumbled.

"What's the matter, Elwyn?" Katie asked.

"My tits are so big they hurt when I'm running…" Elwyn blushed fiercely.

"You don't have a sport bra or anything?"

"Nope… I only took my normal ones as a precaution…"

"Uuuugh…"

"I can try to make you a bra," Elizabeth said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Really, just get me the material, and give me some exclusive time with your breasts, and I can make you a nice sport bra."

"Ooooooh… Okay! But… Where could I…"

"It could be even made out of those bonds you had, I would just need a bit more."

"Okay, I have that!"

"Well now, my dear cousin knows how to sow? Cool!" Katie cheered. "I ripped one of my panties recently, could you do something about that?"

"Of course I can… ummm… Cousin."

"Yay!"

Elwyn looked at Kola suddenly and said, "Saaaay, big guy… Weren't you supposed to do something?"

"Sorry, I need a bit more time. But I guess there's a chance we'll be watching at least BBC during dinner."

"Woohoo! It's almost as if I have my b-day today!"

"And when's that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Heh… Valentine's Day…"

"Now isn't that something!"

"My mom once told me that as the fruit of the love between her and Dad, I couldn't have picked the better moment to be born, heehee…"

"Daaaaaaawww…" some of the girls mused.

"Okay then, Elwyn, you're excluded from morning training. Elizabeth, you try to come up with a bra for our busty Liberian afterwards, so she can catch up afternoon, okay?"

"Yes ma'am!" both said loudly.

"However, Elwyn, you'll have another job for now?"

"Oh?"

"You'll go and inspect all the Strikers."

"Can do!"

"Hmm? So you have the skills necessary for that?"

"Yes ma'am! I'm a self-proclaimed Striker maintenance genius!"

"Hah! Okay genius, hop to it."

"Waaaait wait wait," Angela said quickly. "Before you look at the insides of Aya's Striker, you have to sign a release."

"A release? Why bother?"

"It's top secret, state of the art equipment."

"Is this necessary?" Ellie asked.

"Yes ma'am, absolutely. Our Tornadoes can be reviewed, disassembled, and whatever now to the Liberians heart content, but the _Lilie_ is of limits until you sign. And that goes for everyone, sorry."

"I hope you have enough forms handy," Ellie said with a smirk.

"I got a dozen, ma'am."

"Then why not just bulk sign it and get it over with?"

"I see… Well, we don't have any contraindications as to not to do that… Should I fetch the forms?"

"Yes, please."

"Roger."

Angela ran out of the room, and Tatiana immediately said, "Why should I bother…"

"Do it, Tatiana," Ellie said. "Less stress later."

"I'm amazed that she'll even let me peek inside the Striker. I'm Orussian after all…"

"What, are you a spy? Or a KGB agent?" Katie said and started laughing hysterically, but she was quickly silenced with an elbow to the ribs from Ellie. "Heh, sorry…"

 _"_ _This gets more and more interesting…" Tatiana thought._

They all waited a few seconds and Angela appeared with a stack of papers and a pen.

"Jesus… Just how long is that release?" Elwyn asked.

"I'll read it to you quickly…"

It took Angela ten minutes to go through the whole thing.

"So, basically, we peep a word about what we saw, and we'll be visited by stern-faced men in black suits and disappear in a black Volga?" Tatiana asked.

"More or less. I'm not trying to scare you all, but that's how it works," Angela shrugged.

"Ah, whatever now, let's get this over with. Angela, sit on a chair, the rest form a single line."

With the exception of the remaining Karlslanders, everyone signed the release forms, more or less dissatisfied.

"Now girls, off to training," Ellie said.

"Ma'am, I need to send these home," Angela said while pointing at the freshly signed papers.

"Give me them, and I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, ma'am," she said as she handed over papers. "Come on rest, let's go."

"Yeah, yeah…" Shinobu mumbled and the whole lot went out.

"Hey, comrade," Kola said while looking at Elwyn.

"Yeah?"

"Can I come with you?"

"To do the check up? Sure, why not."

"I'll go with you both," Katie smiled. "Just as a precaution…"

"Ma'am please, I know my way around men."

"Oh do you?"

"Uhuh," Elwyn nodded bored.

"Really?"

"Really! What is this, a damn interrogation?!"

"No need to get so steamy…" Katie mumbled with a pouty face.

"Oh, sorry… Well anyway, you don't need to accompany me just because this big lump of flesh will be alone with me."

"Then what about… I'm simply bored?"

"Well, whatever excuse you find, you're my commanding officer and I have to comply," the busty Liberian shrugged.

"True that… But I don't want you to feel bad about it. We're compatriots after all," Katie winked.

"Ah well, come on then, ma'am, if you want to look at me working so eagerly."

"Please, just Katie."

"Oh… This is unexpected…" Elwyn blushed slightly.

"Come on, Elwyn. And you too, Kola."

"Yeah, I'm going."

"Just don't stay there for the whole day." Ellie said.

"Meh, I'll watch the watch," Katie stuck out her tongue slightly.

* * *

 **Oy vey, nothing to… oh wait, just in case – those were US boob sizes.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	13. Chapter 13 – Maintenance Mishap

Chapter 13 – Maintenance Mishap

* * *

Ellie was looking at the release forms, all alone in the dining hall.

 _Really? I just wonder what kind of tech they stuffed inside of that Striker of Aya that I had to sign my own conditional death warrant? I wonder if I shouldn't report this? Or more so, shouldn't I just take a look at the Striker myself? Damn obligations… Or will Katie do it for me? She's basically riding in the same cart as I am… The Devil himself probably has more flexible conditions…_

 **Bedroom**

"Why did we have to sign that again?" Aina asked.

"Did you even listen to what I was reading?" Tatiana asked.

"Errrr…"'

"Right, you probably dozed off… The greatly abridged version is – top secret stuff, eyes only."

"And the Wehrmacht just let others peek into their super-duper high-tech Striker like that? Just by signing a piece of paper?"

"A legally binding contract," Angela corrected her.

"Yeah… But… Shouldn't one of you know that Striker in and out then?"

"Aya does. And our Tornados. Actually, she should probably repair anything that's mechanical or electronic."

"I wonder why the commander sent Elwyn then…" Aina pondered.

"Because she doesn't know what tricks Aya has up her sleeves," Sieglinde said proudly. "To be perfectly honest, only Aya knows what she's capable of."

Everyone, except for Elsa, Sieglinde, and Angela looked at Aya, who was now pulling down her training tank top over her head.

"W-What?" she asked slightly baffled.

"Ah, we were just wondering what kind of skills you have…" Angela mused.

"V-Various… But s-some I don't want t-to reveal…"

Elwyn saved Aya from her peril by entering the room.

"Yo, I just came by for my coat and cap, don't bother with me."

Elwyn quickly zipped to her bunk, swiped her coat off the bed, quickly unzipped one of her bags pulling out something, and ran away.

"What did I just see?" Elizabeth asked confused.

"One hasty Liberian, that's for sure…" Sieglinde answered. "Okay, no dilly-dallying, girls."

"Hey, rushing girls here is my job!" Shinobu protested.

"Pardon," Sieglinde said with an indifferent voice.

"Anyway, you two night witches, go to sleep after we go training, understood?" Shinobu said with a solid voice.

"Yeah…" Tatiana shrugged and looked at her comrade, which Shinobu also did. "Heh, guess she's out already," she said after seeing Aina in the proverbial arms of Morpheus.

"You sure have gotten close to her," Shinobu noted and a smirk sprouted on her face. "I just hope you're not striving for a relationship like your grandmothers?"

"Even if, it shouldn't concern you. Comrade."

"Yeah, whatever. As long as you don't project it on combat, or try to kill yourself out of it, I won't bother to be honest. I mean, look at your grandmothers – queer and proud!"

"I hope that was a compliment. Right?" Tatiana asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Your grandmothers were pioneers that paved a way for inter-woman love in the army and outside of it, and Shinobu recognizes their warrior spirit," Nami said. "She's just awkward with direct praise, heehee…"

"Nami!"

"Heheheh, sorry, Shinobu."

"Well, it's nice of you that you recognize the work that my grandma and her life partner did, but you have to score points more directly, if you want some recognition from me."

"Get off the high horse already, sheesh… You're talking as if you're a Marshal of the Soviet Union…"

"Well, you're thinking in the right direction…" Tatiana grinned devilishly.

"Huh?"

"Well, if you absolutely have to know… I didn't want to reveal it too fast, but whatever now – I'm Sergey Leonidovich Sokolov's grandniece. The one and favorite, I might add…"

Shinobu's eyes widened a bit like the rests, but they narrowed quite quickly and she said with a low voice, "And now you intend to use your connection to do what exactly?"

"Now, now, don't be such a grump, comrade. Contrary to what your brain might have churned out, I don't intend to do anything with it. I promise, on the honor of an officer of the Soviet Army."

"Well, whatever now. But you won't overshadow Aya!"

"Of course I won't. The grandniece of a Marshal of the Soviet Union is surely a caliber lower than the granddaughter of such a titled man as Toshiro von Edelweiss… Right, Aya?"

"Uh… Well… Um… I r-really don't m-mind… I didn't c-call for a-any favors at m-my Grandpa, so…"

"Ah, so you're against nepotism as I am?"

"Uhum," Aya nodded shyly.

"How nice to find a clearly thinking and unselfish individual these days… Well, I'll be going to sleep slowly now."

"And we will be slowly moving out," Shinobu said after quickly lustrating the girls. "Move out!"

"Roger!" the girls responded and slowly moved towards the door

 **Corridor**

"And what are you trying to sneak away, huh?" Kola asked Elwyn, who had her coat rolled up on her hands.

"Eh, well…" she said and looked around herself. "Here."

She unwrapped her coat and her two comrades saw a medium sized metal box, covered in stickers with characters from comic books and cartoons.

"What's that, a lunch box?" Katie asked while tilting her head in wonder.

"Nope, that's my portable maintenance and tuning kit!"

"So small?" Kola asked. "I know that size doesn't matter, but _chyort_ , this is pushing it."

"I'll show you the contents later, I don't want to lose anything while going through the corridor and stumbling or something like that."

"Fine by me… You prefer walking or driving?"

"Driving always, but why burn gas? We have time, so we can take a walk. If we were hurrying on the other hand, I wouldn't have any qualms to use one of the available cars to drive to the hangar."

"Hah, damn good!" Katie shouted. "A Liberian teenager that isn't spoiled like a week old fish lying in the sun!"

"Who do you think I am, Katie? Some kind of rock and roll band groupie or what?"

"Heh, no, no… You look like a good honest girl from the countryside."

"Not that far off the mark, heh..." Elwyn smiled. "I'm from a shithole called Wrightsville in Arkansas, but since elementary I have lived in Little Rock, which is a damn megalopolis, at least compared to Wrightsville."

"Never heard of any of that… But I guess you can blame me emigrating at the age of five, and the glorious public education in Lehistan…"

"At least you have some formal education…" Kola grumbled.

"Oh?" the two tilted their heads.

Kola sighed and said, "My mother was too poor to send me to school, even the public one, since my… hmm… home was far away from the closest school. Before you ask, yes, that's probably the main reason I'm a simple greasemonkey in the army."

"Well, you sure don't give off the air of an uneducated bumpkin…" Elwyn looked closer at him.

"Ah, well, that's because my mother was very intelligent, and she taught me everything she could on her own."

"So… She was probably impoverished?"

"You could say so, yes. You sure have brains to counterbalance those boobs, heh."

"Hey, you have to have _something_ under the lid to modify the avionics and ECU of your Striker, right?"

"You really did that by yourself?" Katie asked.

"Ahum! I even made a small microcomputer to do it!"

"And I guess it's in that box?" Kola asked.

"Well, that and a lot more, heh…"

 **Hangar**

 **A bit later**

As soon as Katie entered the hangar first, Elwyn rushed like a madman towards the Strikers.

"Does she even wear a bra?" Kola asked stupefied by the sight of Elwyn's chest bouncing up and down like two rubber balls in a sack.

"You sure don't go around on any topic, huh?"

"Nope."

"Well, she does. But a normal piece of lingerie can't exactly hold those boobs of hers… At her age, I'd give them two kilograms each…"

"So four kilograms, add to that the gravity pull and the positive and negative g-forces she's causing by running… Crap, either has a back of steel or it's in tatters…"

"It's a tradeoff…" Katie shrugged. "Guys like big boobs, increasing the chances of finding a husband, but she has a weight on her shoulders for the rest of her life… And the sagging increasing with age, god…"

"And you're in the middle of the scale, heh…"

Katie blushed slightly and asked, "Like them…?"

"A pair of tits is a pair of tits, what's there not to like?"

"Thanks for the input…" Katie mumbled but smiled slightly at the same time.

"Are you going to stand there like a pair of telephone poles or are you going to look at the Striker with me?" Elwyn shouted from before the _Lilie_.

"Yeah, coming!" Katie shouted back. "She sure has a temper…" Katie added silently towards Kola.

"Tihaâ voda berega podmyvaet (Still water runs deep)…" Kola shrugged and the two started walking forward.

Elwyn already opened the service hatch of the Striker and looked profusely and the inside.

"As I thought, sealed shut…" she mumbled to herself. "But…"

"Problems?" Katie asked.

"Nah, I just need some tools," she answered and opened her box.

Kola whistled in admiration and said, "Well now, sure is well equipped this box of yours."

"No Striker will be closed for me, bahahahaha!" Elwyn cackled manically. "A Bristol screw head, bah!"

She pulled out a mating tool and an appropriate bit from a whole row and started unscrewing the screws with unprecedented speed.

"And done!" she announced after a minute with a big grin.

She placed her tool on the ground and then pulled out a small, pocket size flashlight and turned it on.

"Let's see what makes this tick…" Elwyn said and stuck her head in the whole. "Mhhhmmm… Yeah… Uhuh… Crap."

"What is it?" Katie asked.

"Well, that shit is complicated as fuck, but that's not all the bad news. All the components are unmarked, not even a single capacitor is marked with a producer sign. Not to mention that the circuit board has been rosined and painted black afterwards…"

"And what does that do?"

"It's nigh impossible to demount the individual parts, and you can't view how the circuits go around." Kola explained. "They sure know how to piss off unwanted guests…"

"What he said. The worst thing is that the damn SCD port is removed…"

"SCD?" Katie asked.

"Striker Computer Diagnostics," Elwyn said. "You can diagnose the engine electronics using a microcomputer that way, far more efficient than the old STD's."

Katie raised an eyebrow.

"Striker Telemetry Device," Elwyn giggled.

"Oh... Heh, well, you probably know what I was thinking about…" Katie said and laughed dryly.

Kola and Elwyn only nodded.

"Well anywho, you won't be diagnosing what's wrong with this Striker, am I right?" she asked.

"Who said I won't?" Elwyn grinned wryly. "The SCD's have standardized pins, according to the ISO 30:1981 document."

"Which means?"

"I can just hotwire this shit!" Elwyn cheered.

"Good that Ellie isn't here or your mouth would be overflowing with suds…" Katie muttered. "Well anyway, maybe you should check the rest, before you start tinkering with this one?"

"Hmmm… Okay, I'll leave the best one for last!" Elwyn cheered again and took her stuff, running off to the T10S.

"Hah, if I'd bet my pay on the fact that she would go to that Striker, I would win," Kola grinned.

"But you didn't. Now pardon, I have to give her a disclaimer of my own."

Katie ran up to Elwyn from behind and poked her on the shoulder.

"Hmm?" Elwyn turned around.

"One word of warning, Elwyn – do not try to modify anything. Nothing I say. Not even a bit."

"Why is that, Katie?"

"The T10S is a fickle beast, and changing even one parameter slightly could cause a spectacular engine failure, explosions included."

"Hurgh… That would be unnecessary… I only wanted to do diagnostics anyway, no need to worry. And I wouldn't do any mods without prior consent anyway… I don't want to do the same mistake my Granny did."

"What did she do?"

"She modded her Striker illegally, and got booted from her unit."

"Ouch."

"Well, but afterwards, she got promoted and transferred to the 501st."

"I guess there was some meddling behind the scenes?"

"Yeah, Granny told me that after the war she learned that her transfer to the 501st was the result of Adolfine Galland pulling strings in Allied Command on behalf of Granny's later-to-be commander."

"Minna Wilcke?"

"Yup. Granny confronted Minna with that knowledge, and the latter said that she got reports of Granny's immense speed capabilities, and at the time she needed an interceptor badly."

"Well ain't that some shit… Okay now, on with your diagnostics. If I can help with anything…"

"If you could turn the engine, I would be grateful."

"Ah, Ellie forgot to tell you, but everyone beside me and her is forbidden to use this Striker. Army regulations and whatnot…"

"Not even for maintenance purposes?"

"Not even."

"Well, thanks for the heads up… Now, if you could…"

"Yeah, going already…"

Katie pulled out a clunky, big watch shaped control unit for the Striker and put it on her wrist.

"Sure looks a bit… less developed than Aya's," Elwyn said with a face sour as if she just ate a pound of lemons.

"Sturdyness above everything else I guess," Katie shrugged. "I mean come on, you know about the SNW tanks of Orussia, right?"

"More or less… Are you pointing out at the mass production or the simplicity?"

"The latter. Whilst Karlslander tanks were complicated like a Helvetian watch, you could repair an Orussian tank with a hammer."

"Well, yeah… But that was a must, because Orussian tanks also liked to break down like mad."

"You sure are knowledgeable about various stuff, Elwyn," Katie smiled. "Not bad."

"Ah, well… Before I dedicated myself towards electronics, I liked studying history in my free time…"

"That's why you have glasses?"

"No, my eyesight was a bit off since birth, but I'm just a tad nearsighted, nothing serious."

"Okay then. Standard procedure?"

"And what's the standard procedure? Is it as standard as in the Liberian Army?"

"Yeah, pretty much it from what I know."

"Then I have no alterations in mind…"

Katie jumped into the Striker and her animal features popped up.

"Good, I have to plug in my microcomputer…"

After some unscrewing, the relevant plate came off. Elwyn looked inside and said, "Well, not bad, not bad… Very modern… And an SCD port is present, heehee… Please be patient, Katie."

"Sure, sure… Kola, have a joke for this occasion? This could take long…"

"In Soviet Orussia, the joke tells you," Kola said with his thickest accent.

The two chuckled first but then burst into laughter.

" _Chyort,_ I didn't know it was THAT funny…" Kola scratched his head in wonder.

"It's… It's just… That your accent… And you telling it…" Elwyn managed to say before she relapsed into laughter.

 _"_ _And I didn't even get to Chapayev jokes…" Kola sighed mentally._

"Okay, girls, calm down, there's a crapload of Strikers to go through."

"Just one more, okay?" Katie asked.

"Suuuure… Pietia asks Chapayev, "Comrade Commander, would you drink a liter of vodka?" "Of course!" Chapayev answers. "And a bucket?" Pietia asks. "Most certainly!" Chapayev answers with equal enthusiasms. "And the whole Lake Baykal of vodka?!" "Hell no!" Chapayev shouts. "Why is that, comrade Commander?" Pietia asks confused. "I would fall short on pickles.""

Katie immediately bent in half and started laughing, grabbing her stomach. Elwyn in turn tilted her head and said, "I don't quite get it…"

"Oh right, you're underage and Liberian," Kola said. "We Orussians, Soviet or not, used, use, and will be using appetizers after drinking vodka. Pickles are especially good for that."

"Heh…. Heheheh… Now I get it!" Elwyn laughed slightly. "Hey, Katie, Katie, stop laughing already, we have work to do," Elwyn patted Katie on the back a bit hesitantly.

"Suure… Suuuure…" Katie took a few deep breaths to calm down. "Pardon, but Kola just… disarmed me with that joke."

"I can tell another one…" Kola said with a straight face.

"Fuck no!" the two shouted.

"Okay, okay…" Kola said with his hands before him, looking as the two grinned to each other.

Elwyn took out a smallish device out of her box. It had a numerical keyboard and a two-row active matrix digital display. The back had two copper plates on the side and a cable sticking out of one of the sides. The cable itself was ended with a thirty-pin male SDC plug, which Elwyn swiftly mated with the female switch on the circuit board of the T10S systems. She then flipped a switch on her microcomputer and a green diode came on.

"You have to let it boot up, since despite all the optimizations I've done, it's taking about a minute." Elwyn said with an apologetic face.

"Meh, it's not like we have to go somewhere post-haste, right? And the Strikers need thorough maintenance anyway."

After a minute spent on booting up, the display showed a series of numbers.

"What does all that mean?" Katie asked. "I never bothered to find that out to be honest…"

"That's the digital signature of the Striker. It's also standardized by the way. Okay, let's send a handshake…"

Elwyn quickly typed a series of numbers and pressed the Enter key. The numbers changed again and Elwyn shouted, "Woohoo! It's working!"

"You thought you wouldn't get _in_?"

"The same ISO document I've talked about outlines that the data stream can be encrypted with a 56-bit DES algorithm. But apparently the reds forgot or simply didn't give a fuck… Well anyway, Katie, start the procedure."

"Sure thing, boss," Katie winked and the two Saturn AL-31 turbofan engines woke up to life. Since they were loud, Elwyn and Katie turned to a standardized gesture system, and after five minutes, they were finished.

"Wow, Elwyn, you sure know how to do your stuff! Good job!" Katie cheered and patted her compatriot on the shoulder.

"Aw shucks… I am who I am…"

"Just not Popeye the sailor man!"

The two tooted and laughed aloud.

"Say, do you have any papers, or are you just a self-taught wonder?"

"Well, the latter is correct, but the former came afterwards. I'm a class 3 certified microcomputer diagnostician!" Elwyn said proudly while puffing her chest.

"How about mechanics?" Kola asked.

"Eeeeeerrrrrrr…" Elwyn looked around nervously. "Weeeeeellll…"

"One to ten."

"Three…" Elwyn mumbled with her ears red. "I'm a disgrace to the family name in that regard…"

"But you can do something, right?"

"Well yeah, I can handle a hammer and spanner… And a power drill… But blowtorches hate me…"

"Ah well, you can't have everything. I'm actually illiterate when it comes to Strikers, so we both have some shortcomings."

"You can go now, Kola," Katie said. "Go and finish that antenna, kay?"

"Sure thing, Katie. Do svidanya!" Kola saluted lazily and went off.

"Now where were we… Ah, still thirteen Strikers to go, come on; I'll help you to the end."

"Oh, thanks!"

"No problem."

 **Gym**

 **0930 MSK**

 _"_ _Something is bugging me… I have this uneasy feeling I forgot about something VERY damn important… Ugh, what was it again… Eeeeeerrrrrrrrr… Hurrrrr… I just can't remember…"_

"Hey, Aya, what's with the think-face?" Elsa asked.

"Ah… I'm thinking about something indeed… I think I forgot to tell somebody something…" Aya said not skipping a beat on her 356th one-handed pushup.

"Huh?"

"Ask me, and I'll ask you… I really don't know…"

"What is it?" Sieglinde asked from her side, as she was doing her 784th crunch.

"Ugh, Sigi, at least you give me a break… I think I forgot to tell Elwyn something."

"About what?"

"Dunno… But… Maybe it's about my Striker?"

"Your Striker? The only thing you could probably forget is the tampe…"

Both their faces paled immediately.

"Ruuuun…" Sieglinde said with an almost inaudible voice of somebody that had not had a drop of water in a week.

 _"_ _Kuro!"_

 _"_ _Yes, Mistress!"_

Aya could see the world around her go monochromatic and almost still. Shinobu's sword kata's were slow as molasses, and Angela doing laps looked as if she was suspended midair. Aya ran out of the gym, down the corridor and out to the outside.

 _"_ _Please be okay… Please be okay… Please be okay…"_

 **Hangar**

"Well now, as I suspected, it's encrypted," Elwyn said after booting up her microcomputer after hotwiring it to the circuit board of the Lilie's avionics.

"What now?"

"Brute force time…" Elwyn shrugged. "I have a very simple program inbuilt in the microcomputer, that can crack the encryption, but it could take some time."

"Isn't that a bit… illegal? I mean, they encrypted it for a reason…"

"A hacker challenges himself all the time!" Elwyn shouted and input a secret code.

Her finger was wandering slowly towards the Enter key, but then, a hand suddenly appeared and grabbed it. A second one pulled out the microcomputer out of her hand. Elwyn looked up amazed and saw Aya panting and wheezing with a red face.

"Aya? What gives? I was… errr… start the diagnostics…" Elwyn lied blatantly.

"P…P…Please give me a second…" she said totally out of breath and slumped down on the cold concrete floor.

"Hey, come on, you'll get a cold!" Katie protested and she walked up to Aya.

With big eyes, Aya squiggled away from Katie.

"Oh, pardon, that was too sudden. Come on, Aya, at least sit on the Launcher unit of the Tornado here, it's still a bit warm after the test."

"O-Okay…"

Aya quickly ran over and sat on the side of the Launch Unit of Angela's Tornado.

"S-So… Um… Elwyn… If you started brute forcing the Lilie… B-Bad stuff would happen…"

"What exactly?"

"T-The coating of the circuit board isn't resin and lacquer o-only, it's a very fine layer of Semtex… I-If you c-continued t-to t-t-try t-to c-crack t-the p-p-password…" Aya started shaking as bad as she started stuttering.

"Calm down, Aya," Katie said. "Easy does it, you're among friends here, and you haven't done anything wrong."

"I-I forgot to tell a-about the reverse engineer t-tamper protection… You could have gotten i-injured badly…" Aya's eyes started to tear up slowly.

"Uuuugh…" Elwyn moaned and all of a sudden, she just picked Aya off the top of the Launch Unit and hugged her. "Nothing happened, and that's fucking that. Stop crying or your overprotective friend will probably feel your tears remotely, and whoop our asses."

"Uh… But… I…"

Suddenly Aya felt as she was embraced from the back. She whimpered silently.

"You think you can run back just as fast as you got here?" Katie asked.

"I'm t-tired…"

"Hmmm…" Katie pondered and looked around. "Aha!"

She let go of the two and ran to the PA panel she found.

"We need Aya's coat here ASAP!" she yelled to the microphone and returned to hug Aya again. "Sure feels nice to hug ya two."

"B-But ma'am…"

"Katie."

"O-Oh… D-Does that mean…"

"I'm not going to be your friend just like that, but hearing all that _ma'aming_ is just tiresome."

"O-Okay, K-Katie."

"Hey, don't stutter my name!"

"Y-Yes Katie, sir, ma'am! Jawohl!"

"Heh, don't get so worked up, I was joking. Well, anywho, we're stuck like this for a while, so you might as well explain a bit further on that anti-tamper countermeasure."

"Um, well… After the system determines that the access code was entered wrongly ten times, it would detonate the Semtex, destroying the avionics and severely damaging the rest of the components. A-And it would also send a signal to the second leg too…"

"Geez, why didn't you tell us earlier?" Elwyn asked.

"I-I forgot…" Aya said with a sad voice. "B-But I'll tell you the proper access code, o-okay?"

"Sure, wait a second though."

Elwyn detached herself and went to her box, picked up a pencil and a small yellow Post-It block.

"Okay, hit me."

"One-five-six-four-eight-four-one-five-two-five-two-five…" Aya inhaled deeply. "…eight-one-eight-five-five-three."

"Okay, got it!"

"B-But please don't tamper with the programming… It's unstable as it is…" Aya said quietly.

"No prob, Aya. I'll just diagnose it and go back _home_."

"C-Cold…"

"Whoops!" Elwyn shouted and grabbed Aya back to warm her up. "Aya sandwich, heh…"

"Heehee… F-Feels nice…"

"And you just run away when I wanted to touch you…" Katie said with a grumpy voice.

"So…"

"Beeeeeep!" Katie made a noise like a game show buzzer.

"W-What is it?"

"Aya, _sorry_ has been beaten to death by you already. Try something less self-deprecating."

"Ummm… I… I'll try better?"

"Hmm… I dunno if that's another apology, or you're unable to voice your mind… But whatever works."

They heard a violent screech of tires outside of the hangar, and Sieglinde stormed in through the door like her callsign's namesake. She quickly ran up to the three, but slowed down considerably seeing the peculiar event.

"I'm a bit confused…" Sieglinde said. "But first things first – nothing bad happened, Aya?"

"No, everything's okay, Sigi."

"Ah, okay then. I guess you two were only keeping Aya warm then…"

"What the hell were you thinking we're doing?" Katie asked with suspicion.

"Oh I don't know, really…"

"Well, whatever it is you were thinking is irrelevant. Dress Aya up and return her to the gym."

"Will do," Sieglinde answered and popped on the wooly cap on Aya's head. Her two emergency heaters parted from her, and Aya could pull on her warm winter coat.

"Weeeheee, it's so warm. Thank you Sigi, and… thank you, Elwyn and Katie…"

"Meh, don't bother yourself, Aya," Elwyn said with a roguish smile. "We'll be finished in a few minutes."

"Oh, Sigi, please, let's wait for them!"

"Okay, Aya. There's absolutely no rush."

"Thanks!" Aya cheered and hugged the stern Karlslander.

"Come on, Aya, don't be so clingy..." the blondes face reddened immediately.

"It's either you or them."

"Okay, be clingy!" Sieglinde replied hastily.

"You two are funny," Katie noted. "Okay, Elwyn, do your magic."

"Sure thing. I just need to reboot my microcomputer."

"Oh, c-can I help with anything?" Aya asked.

"Weeeelll… It's your Striker, why don't you do your part?" Elwyn asked.

"Uhum!" Aya nodded quickly and jumped inside her Striker.

"You probably forgot something, Aya," Sieglinde said with a small smile.

"Oh, the control unit, heheh…" Aya laughed and pulled out said item out of her Launch Unit. "Ready!"

"Proceed with the procedure, Aya." Elwyn said.

"R-Roger!"

Five minutes later, Elwyn said, "Good job, Aya. Looks like everything's peachy."

"Now, jump out of your Striker and let's go back to the main building," Katie ordered.

Aya leaped out of the Striker and started walking towards the exit. Sieglinde joined her quickly and whispered, "Looks like it was fun for you?"

"Hmmm… Yes, the girls were very friendly. And I didn't get cold one bit, heehee…"

"Who knows, maybe you'll recover here, just like the doctor said?"

"Well… I'm feeling a bit better compared to tomorrow, and I felt better yesterday then the day before yesterday… I guess making new friends is working for me…"

"Watcha whispering about?" Elwyn appeared suddenly between them.

"Wah!" Aya almost jumped up. "N-Nothing important."

"Heh… Hey, Sieglinde, can I drive?"

"Well, as long as you don't make us cross the Pearly Gates in a ball of fire and molten metal, be my guest."

"Sheesh, talk about distrust…" Elwyn mumbled.

 **Gym**

 **1100 MSK**

"Okay, end of this training session!" Sieglinde shouted. "Good job, everyone! I can see progress from yesterday!"

"Damn… You sure know how to do indoor training," Shinobu admitted with a stern face. "But what about outdoors?"

"On ground you can't shake a stick at me, but for flight training, Angela is the one you should turn your head to."

"Indeed," Angela said with an emotionless voice. "However, I have bad news for now."

"What is it?" Shinobu asked.

"We don't have either paintball guns neither MILES nor blanks to do shooting training, so we can only do maneuvering or formation training."

"Crap… We should request that…" Shinobu muttered.

"MILES?" Marie asked with uncovered surprise. "What's that?"

"Yeah, wuzzat?" Giulietta asked too.

"You're both from backwater units, right?" Angela asked, receiving affirmative nods in return. "Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System. It's basically a vest with sensors, a laser adapter on a weapon and a mag full of blanks for increased realism. You shoot at the other witch with your gun, and if the laser beam hits a sensor, the vest registers a hit and beeps loud. It's something new, so not many have had an occasion to train with its use, but I guess if some strings were pulled…"

"I'll go," Shinobu said with a firm voice.

"No, I'll go," Angela protested calmly. "You're already the dorm mother."

"And you want to be the commanders pet? Hell no!"

"Hey, maybe somebody else wants to…" Angela shouted but couldn't finish as she was almost driven into the ground by the angry stares of Shinobu and Aya. "…nothing… I said nothing…" she mumbled and turned around.

"As I was saying…" Shinobu tried to continue, but she was then interrupted.

"Shino, you're already dorm mother… Angela can be our proxy," Aya said with a cutesy voice.

"Eh? Really now?" Shinobu asked dumbfounded. "Aaaaayaaaa…"

"If you don't want to l-listen, fine. But arguing about this will only end badly…"

Shinobu first looked at Angela, then at Aya, and lastly back at Angela again.

"Okay, I agree. Of course if nobody is opposing," she said and briefly looked at Tatiana.

"Don't look at me, comrade, I'm here to serve my motherland, not bicker over who gets to do what. My identity was concealed to everyone but the absolutely necessary officers."

"So no buts or ifs from you?"

"Nyet."

"Well then, Karlslander, I guess you're our liaison right now."

"I hope I'll stand up to your expectations," Angela smiled wryly. "Okay girls, I guess it's time for a bath. Get your change of clothes and… Oh right, somebody has to wash our training attire afterwards… I was doing it yesterday, so…"

"I can do it," Nami and Aya said with varying enthusiasm and intensity.

"Hooo?" Angela said surprised. "Two volunteers for the dirty work? Well then, if you two want to do it, then please, by all means. Everyone! Dump what's needed to be washed onto one stack after we undress for bathing, and the two will take care of it."

The girls more or less agreed to Angela's words.

"Hey, Aya, will you join us this time?" Nami leaned over her friend.

"Uh… M-maybe…"

"Come on, it'll be fun! I'll scrub you squeaky clean and everything!"

"Well… If you say so… I'll try…"

"Yay, it'll be like old times!"

"Old times?" Sieglinde asked.

"You just don't know how we spent that semester with Aya, don't you?" Shinobu asked with a cheeky smile.

"Aya never told us about it in detail," Sieglinde responded with indifference.

"But we never pried it out of her in the first place," Elsa added.

"I… I'm sorry… I'll tell you later today…" Aya said silently with her eyes facing the floor.

"Don't sweat it, Aya," Angela said calmly. "Okay, let's go refresh ourselves. Direction – bedroom!"

* * *

 **Nothing to explain methinks?**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	14. Chapter 14 - Elwyn's shenanigans

Chapter 14 – Elwyn's shenanigans

* * *

 **Bedroom**

"Booooooriiiiiiing…" Elwyn moaned while lying on her bunk. "Good that at least the radio is catching western radio stations… Ah, crap, the girl from Suomus is sleeping here…" she added quietly and looked at Aina.

The narcoleptic witch was lying all over her bunk and even snoring quite a bit.

"Whew… She probably didn't hear me. Nor the radio and it's not playing that quietly… I might as well look for that Kola guy and see if he's done with that damn antenna."

Elwyn got off her bunk and walked up to the radio, turning it off swiftly. Afterwards she walked to the door, and when she was about to grab the handle, it opened and Sieglinde appeared in her way, with the rest behind her.

"Oh, Liberion? Where are you going?"

"And why should you damn bother, hmm?"

"I suppose I shouldn't. Just don't do anything stupid."

"Yeah, whatever. Now let me pass you damn Valkyrie."

Sieglinde moved aside and now everyone else was standing in Elwyn's way.

"Just let me paaasss…" she moaned.

The girls smiled and made way for the Liberian.

"Thanks…" she mumbled and went down the corridor.

 _"_ _Now where in this whole wide world should I go? Ah, I'll ask Katie!"_

Elwyn ran up to the commander's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Ellie's voice was heard and Elwyn opened the door.

She saw the commander sitting behind her desk, scribbling something, and Katie sitting in a chair, looking at the former.

"Oh, hello Elwyn, what's happening?" Ellie asked.

"Um, I'm here to ask a question, ma'am."

"Then fire away, I won't bite."

"Well, okay then. Where's Kola's den?"

"Kola's _den_? End of the corridor and left."

"What, getting itchy down there?" Katie asked with a wry smile.

"Oh pfff, I'm not some kind of nymphomaniac or anything! Stupid Katie…"

"Huh? Did you two get acquainted better?" Ellie asked, darting her eyes between the two.

"Yeah, while doing maintenance," Katie answered.

"Ah, good, or I would have to dish out some punishment."

Elwyn gulped loudly, which wasn't' unnoticed by Ellie.

"Hah, don't worry, only a few belts on that ass of yours and that's that," she answered, making Elwyn looks as if she suddenly swallowed a pole. "Hahaha! Kidding! You would probably wash the latrines. Corporal punishment is so last war…"

"Eheheh…" Elwyn laughed dryly and looked at her wrist. "Ah sh…oot, I forgot my watch from my bag."

Katie raised her hand and read off the time from her silver metal watch.

"Oh, it's not that late… But… That watch looks peculiar…"

"It's an _Electronika 1_ , the first LED watch from the USSR," Katie explained.

"Wooooooah, I could have guessed! I always wanted to disassemble it!"

"Hell no!" Katie shouted and stuck her hand behind her back.

"Want to disassemble something more traditional instead?" Ellie said and showed her her wristwatch.

"No, ma'am, I'm only interested in electronics. But that watch looks expensive…"

"It's a gift from my Mom. Moreover, it's not super expensive, it's just old. A PRL made Arras. If my homeland was alive and prospering, you could get one in a watchmakers shop for the equivalent of thirty dollars."

"Well, that is a bit expensive, especially for a teenager… But anyway, thank you for the info, I'll be going."

"Have a blast; just remember what the regulations say about interaction between men and witches."

"Of course, ma'am!" Elwyn cheered and stormed out of the room.

"Well, she didn't even bother waiting for me to dismiss her…" Ellie sighed and took out something out of her breast pocket.

"I'm surprised you didn't show that to her first," Katie said.

"Well, maybe not yet. I think I'll show it later to everyone."

"Kay, sure."

Ellie hid the item and resumed her paperwork.

 **Kola's room**

"Hurrrr… Only a few connections left and it will be done… I sure took a nosedive when I promised that busty Liberian an antenna, sheesh…" Kola muttered to himself while he was soldering wire connections in the antenna he was building.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door to his room, which was filled with tools, parts and other necessities for a mechanic.

"I'm busy," he said.

"Well… Okay…" he heard a familiar voice in return.

"Ah, it's you? Come in if you want, I'm finishi…"

He couldn't finish the sentence, because Elwyn ran inside like a derailed train. She looked around with eyes sparkling and mouth dropped.

"Okay now, stop catching flies and close the door, unless they taught you to use a bale of hay as a door."

"Uh, yeah, yeah, sure…" Elwyn snapped out of her trance and closed the door behind her. "Nice little workshop you have here!"

"Before my unit moved out, I had the same responsibilities, so yeah…"

"Hey, can I help you with that?!"

"Gospodin, calm down woman! I'm finishing anyway."

"Oh… Kay…" Elwyn said visibly disappointed.

"Well, you can look and see if I didn't make any mistakes," Kola said with a smile.

"Woohoo!" she cheered and quickly looked over the antenna. "Well, shit standard mesh antenna with external power supply. Not much to botch up to be honest… Although the parts you used are certainly military grade… Saaaaaay…"

"Guilty as charged," Kola sighed. "Yes, I'm pilfering supplies for side projects. I hope you won't rat me out?"

"Me? A fellow enthusiast? Never! Especially since I'm not the Maiden of Orleans myself in that matter, eheheh…" Elwyn laughed dryly and scratched her head.

"There's always the lack of supplies…" Kola sighed yet another time. "Okay, let me finish this and we'll go look for some signal."

"Yay!"

"Just don't breathe down my neck, dammit!"

"I'll just go to the dining hall already, kay?"

"That would be the best for the both of us."

Elwyn quickly exited the room, this time closing the door immediately.

"Gospodin, what a bundle of misdirected energy…" he muttered and fired up his soldering iron again.

 **Bath**

"Your turn, Aya," Nami said visibly agitated, and obviously naked, just like the rest of the girls in the dressing room.

"Mmmmmmm…" Aya whimpered and started unbuttoning her uniform.

"You don't have to, and you know that perfectly well," Sieglinde said in a condescending tone.

"No, Sigi, I have to try."

"I don't know what are you afraid about," Giulietta said. "Judging by the amount of body you've shown and adding to that some rough estimates, you have the body of a fitness queen."

"Stop ogling her, you damn sexual predator," Sieglinde gnarled.

"Pfff… You won't attack me before everyone."

"Say that without hiding behind Elsa!"

"Nu-uh, she's my only insurance against you rampaging on me!"

"Oh Sieglinde, stop it already," Angela sighed. "And look, Aya is undressed already."

"Huh, what?" both Sieglinde and Giulietta said surprised and looked at Aya, who was now covering her womanly parts with her hands.

Giulietta's hands started twitching, but what Sieglinde didn't see, Elsa grabbed them lightly and whispered, "Please don't, Sieglinde is a bit possessive about Aya. If you want to grope her, you have to arrange it with Aya herself, of course in secret, kay?"

"Mhm…" Giulietta nodded and calmed down her boobaholic urges.

"You really look nice naked," Tatiana said. "Come on, ruki vverkh," she added quickly with a smile.

Aya too smiled and raised her hands slowly. Her breasts didn't fall down a slight bit, firmly protruding from her chest, above her toned belly.

"You all sure are chiseled…" Elizabeth noted looking at her own body, which was slender but nothing more.

"Sieglinde is chiseled, we're just toned," Angela shrugged. "And if you had the same training program as we have, I guarantee that you would have a six-pack yourself."

"Yeah, that would be it…" Elizabeth murmured. "I still feel that program in my legs…"

"Nothing a good bath won't cure!" Nami cheered. "Aya, come on! Let's hit the showers and take a dip already!"

"S-Sure, coming!"

Not waiting for further confirmation, Nami grabbed Aya's right arm and swiped the Karlslander from before everyone.

"Seriously…" Sieglinde muttered quietly with contempt.

"Come on, Sieglinde, you have to let her go," Angela whispered to the stout Karlslander.

"Until she's socially somewhat okay, I'll protect Aya from any hardships. You know I promised that to her parents. Wir haben es alle getan (We all did it)."

"Ja…" Angela said glumly.

"Hey, sourpusses, come on, bath time," Shinobu said with a roughish grin on her face.

"Yes, we're coming," Angela quickly replied, regaining her composure.

 **Dining hall**

 _"_ _Where's that Kola, damn him?! I'm waiting five minutes for that polar bear! He only had to solder a few wires together, which I would do in a minute with my eyes blindfolded while pleasuring him at the same time! Wait a fucking minute, why am I even imagining that now?! For fucks sake, Steveeeeee! Get out of my life already you scumbag!"_

Elwyn looked around and saw nobody, and the TV was off as it should be.

 _"_ _Hmm… I guess I'm a bit hungry… Wonder if there's anything to munch off right away…"_

Elwyn wandered into the kitchen and looked directly into the inside of the fridge.

 _"_ _Buuuuuuh… A bit of ham, some mustard… How the fuck does Katie provide such meals for us? Maybe everything is deep frozen?"_

She closed the sturdy refrigerator and went into the cold room.

 _"_ _Woaaaaaaah… Enough food for a week! Hey, I wonder what the bottles are…"_

She fetched one brown colored bottle with a bronze-green-beige label and **_Пиво_** written dead center.

"Why do these stupid commies write using such a retarded alphabet…" Elwyn muttered.

"Who knows?" a voice said from behind her and a hand grabbed the bottle.

"WAGH!" Elwyn shouted almost jumping up.

"Heheheh, what are you doing here, Elwyn?" Katie asked curiously.

"I got a bit hungry, so I wanted to make myself a sandwich or something…" she replied like a child caught torturing a frog.

"Ah, you could just tell me and I would've made you some."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. The kitchen is my kingdom, and I will tolerate no intruders," she said with a wry smile.

"Heh, okay. What's the bottle I was holding by the way?"

"Zhigulevskoye beer, nothing for you, my dear compatriot," Katie said and put the bottle back in place. "Now shoo, or you'll catch a cold."

"Yes ma'am!" Elwyn said with a crooked grin.

 **Bath**

"So, how is it, Ayaya?" Nami asked.

"Gooooooooood…" Aya almost purred while making a cat face, succumbing to Nami's hands, which moved skilfully over Aya's back.

"Oh, I'm glad I still have what it takes, heheh…"

In the meanwhile, Sieglinde was looking at the Fusojin with a mixed expression.

"Come on, relax," Elsa said. "Nami and Shinobu knew Aya before us, so I guess she gets some preferential treatment."

"That's what ticks me off…" Sieglinde muttered.

"Breast massage perhaps?" Giulietta emerged from behind Elsa while making grabby movements with her hands.

"How about a knuckle sandwich with a side of knee-to-the-face?" Sieglinde replied for her friend.

"Jeez, loosen your tits…" Giulietta mumbled and simply lied flat on the surface of the water, showing off her physique. "Like this!"

"Yes, Sieglinde, relax," Angela said. "Hey, could you perhaps do Sieglinde once you're finished with Aya?" she asked while looking at Nami.

"I don't know…" Nami hesitated.

"I promise she won't hurt you."

"Well, okay!"

"Hey, don't I have a word in this matter?!" Sieglinde protested.

"Come on, Sigi, even Shino is relaxing. Right, Shino?" Aya asked.

"Huh, what?" Shinobu opened one eye, waking up from her nap. "Relaxing? Sure, a hot bath is the best thing a samurai can do to relax."

"Okay then, whatever goes…" Sieglinde sighed. "But your fingers wander a centimeter near my tits and…"

"Sigi…" Aya interrupted with a disappointed look. "Don't threaten my friend!"

"Okay…" Sieglinde mumbled with a red face.

"Well anyway, I'm done!" Nami cheered. "Sieglinde, bend over!"

"You'd wish!"

"Heheh, I couldn't resist. I mean like Aya."

"Ah, shit, I overreacted again…"

Sieglinde moved towards Nami and assumed the same position as her friend before. Nami probed her shoulders a bit with her fingers and said, "Loosen up a bit, or this won't work."

"I guess I can afford to drop my guard a bit."

"What are you expecting?" Elizabeth asked. "Your biggest enemy, from what I have deduced, is relaxing with her breasts towards the roof."

"Ugh, that's not what I was talking about."

"Neuroi?" Marie asked.

"Now that's more on track. The Neuroi could attack any time and place, and I can't just indulge myself in shameless pleasure, can I?"

""Everything in moderation," as my grandma always says," Shinobu chipped in. "Hasn't it occurred to you that we DESERVE such pleasures?"

"Well, yes, we do deserve them, but we don't HAVE to partake in them, right?"

"Relax I said!" Nami yelled and applied pressure to a special point on Sieglinde's body, and the Karlslander just limped down onto Nami.

"I… I can't move my body!" Sieglinde shouted scared. "W-What have you done?!"

"Don't worry; the temporary inability to move will pass in a while," Nami explained. "I just used my knowledge of acupressure, that's all."

"Nami, you know you shouldn't do that for shits and giggles..." Shinobu sighed ever so deeply.

"She brought it upon herself, not relaxing and everything," Nami puffed her cheeks and looked away.

"Now I'm TOO damn relaxed!"

"I'm sorry, but I'll massage you thoroughly as gratification."

"Well, I hope."

Everyone who looked at Nami right now noticed a devilish grin on her face.

"What's with that grin?" Angela whispered to Shinobu.

"You'll see…" Shinobu shook her head heavily. "Nami really is seeking a lump…"

Nami's hands started massaging Sieglinde, but soon the latter's face warped in surprise. However, being an exemplar in terms of discipline, she didn't peep a single vowel from herself.

"Playing hard are we?" Nami whispered into her ear. "I'll make you scream…"

Everyone now looked at the two. Nami was continuing her dubious massage practices, and Sieglinde was trying to bottle up everything she felt inside of her, making all sort of grimaces. Alas, even she fell to Nami's hands, as she finally let out a single creaky moan.

"Ah, my work is done," Nami said with satisfaction.

"I… I swear… I'll murder you…" Sieglinde exhaled heavily.

"Be my guest. But you have to admit that it was pleasant, huh? Right? Right?"

"No."

"No?! As in you want more?"

"No! It was perfect! I never felt so in my whole life, even when Aya rubbed my feet!"

Almost everyone raised an eyebrow and looked at Aya.

"Uhm… Err… I do g-good f-foot rubs… Heheh…"

 **Dining hall**

"The sandwiches were yummy!" Elwyn cheered and took a sip of tea. "And eating with my superiors was surprisingly pleasant."

"We're not here to kill you," Ellie said with a smile. "And it seems our stomachs went in sync, heh…"

"Ha! True that! Now if only Kola moved his a… legs…" Elwyn caught herself in the last moment.

"You really want to watch some television you can understand, huh?" Katie asked.

"Well duh…"

"Anyone call?" a male voice was heard, and the girls looked towards the entrance.

Kola entered the room with a mesh antenna right in front of him, and a rectangular AC adapter in his left hand.

"Woah, gimme!" Elwyn shouted and ran up to the burly Orussian immediately.

"Sure, sure, I just don't know if…"

Kola didn't even finish his sentence, because Elwyn nabbed what he carried and ran off to the TV set. Apparently using her magic, she attached the cable of the antenna to the TV, and plugged in the AC adapter into an outlet. She hastily pressed a button and the TV came on.

"Well, the oruskie TV looks like a charm! Now something a bit more west!" she shouted and pressed a button. "Weeeeird… ZDF is snowing a bit… What about BBC…" she pressed another button, but the BBC was only a bit clearer than with the normal antenna, but it still was a snowstorm.

Suddenly, it struck her like a mammoth freight train.

"Mumble… Grumble… Brbrbrbrbrrgbrbgrbgbrgbrgr…" she muttered unintelligibly and went towards the kitchen.

Katie, Ellie, and Kola looked at each other and then looked through the kitchen counter. They saw Elwyn rummaging the cupboards, and finding a frying pan. Elwyn calmly took her glasses off, and all of a sudden, she just smacked her forehead with the pan.

"Shit!" she exclaimed and hit herself another time. "Crap!" yet another hit.

"Woah, stop, stop!" Katie shouted and jumped over the counter.

"Fuck!" Elwyn yelled and took a bigger swing then earlier, but Katie managed to stop her just before the pan hit her another time.

Disarmed, Elwyn simple squatted down on the kitchen floor with a pouty face and angry look in her eyes, crossing her arms low over her knees.

"Rackin' frackin'…"

"You're bleeding, you moron…" Katie sighed. "What the hell was that tantrum anyway?"

"I forgot that how limited the range of VHF broadcast is…" Elwyn mumbled. "Back in home I have satellite TV already, so I got lazy with my thinking… God dammit… Ugh!"

"Then how could we see BBC, limited how it is?"

"A fluke… the signal must have bounced through up until here somehow… Maybe the comm antennas on the roof are helping a bit… Dunno… And I just wanted to watch some damn TV!"

"Attention!" Ellie shouted suddenly, making Elwyn straighten herself out in a matter of two seconds. "Now my dear lady, I know you're upset, but your language and self-mutilation is condemnable. What do you say?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am…" Elwyn said close to tears.

"Good. Since latrine scrubbing would be a bit too degrading for a smart person like you, I'll settle for three days of KP duty."

"Yes ma'am…"

"And stop sulking already; I'll see what I can do about the television here," Ellie said with a small smile.

"Really?!" Elwyn lightened up at the drop of a hat.

"Yes, I promise. Now go and find Aya, she'll heal you I believe."

"Yes ma'am!" Elwyn cheered and ran away.

"Glasses!" Katie shouted.

"Whoops!" Elwyn turned around with limited slip of her shoes, seized her glasses from Katie, and ran away again.

"Geez… What a girl…" Kola sighed.

"You knew it wouldn't work, right?" Ellie asked.

"I didn't have the heart to tell her," he shrugged.

"I wouldn't either…"

 **Bath changing room**

"Well, that was quite something," Elizabeth said while drying herself off. "I sure got to know something about some of you."

"Yeah!" Angela cheered along. "And about Sieglinde, huehue…"

"We really should get to know each other more. But I doubt we can make a barbeque or campfire…" Marie pondered with furled eyebrows.

"Is that how you socialize in Gallia?" Elizabeth asked.

"More or less. As I said, I was in a backwater unit, so it could be different from what is going on in the _civilized_ units."

"We drink a Bruderschaft when we want to solidify a friendship in the Bundeswehr, but sadly we can't do it with alcohol, since all the new regulations came in after the SNW," Angela explained calmly.

"We don't need such fancy ceremonies, right, Nami?" Shinobu asked her tall comrade, who was now putting on her bra.

"Yeah, sure! We just drop honorifics when both parties feel they get more friendly. The next step is getting on first name basis, and later maybe pet names, heehee…"

Angela and Sieglinde both looked first at Nami and then at Aya, and totally in sync they nodded to each other.

"Heeey, is Aya here?" Elwyn's voice was heard suddenly.

"Y-Yes, I'm here," Aya replied a bit reluctantly.

"You know, I could use your healing magic a bit…"

"Ummm… Come here then?"

"Oh, okay."

Elwyn entered the changing room, and once she Marie's and Elizabeth's brains registered what they saw, they lost consciousness. Fortunately, Giulietta was able to catch them, which she scrupulously used to grope both the _well-constituted_ Britannian and the _smaller_ Gallian silly, exhibiting a truly blissful face.

The Liberian herself had a small cut running horizontally through her forehead albeit bleeding heavily. Her face was already completely red from the blood.

"W-What happened?!" Aya asked concerned.

"Ah well, I went full retard with a frying pan… Really, nothing worth mentioning…"

"Oh, okay… Can I see that?"

"That's what I'm here for, heh."

Aya approached Elwyn, and just as her hands wandered to the latter's forehead, she asked, "Can I?"

"You're the doctor here right now."

Aya nodded and cleared the bangs from the view, and looked at the wound saying, "Nasty but this will be easy to heal… Please be patient, okay?"

"You skipped a preposition there," Elwyn smiled.

"Heehee…" Aya giggled and a ball of magic appeared before Elwyn's face.

"Wow, so this is healing magic… It's warm and… heh, it tickles."

After a few seconds, the magic disappeared and Aya said, "Done."

"Thanks, Aya. I'll go wash my face, cuz judging from the reaction of the two now being manhandled by the Romagnan, I must look like a horror prop."

"Well… Y-You're not that far away…" Aya said with a shy smile.

"Okay, sorry for disturbing ya guys, I'm out!" Elwyn waved and exited the room.

"What the…" Sieglinde started.

"…hell was that?" Angela ended for her.

"A person in need," Aya said. "Umm… Everyone, l-lump your gym clothes on one p-pile please."

"Ah, right, you're on laundry duty," Giulietta said while still molesting the unconscious Elizabeth.

"Will you stop that already, for fucks sake…?! Have some decency!" Sieglinde shouted at the Romagnan.

"Grow a funny bone already," Giulietta muttered and moved the two onto a bench. "Satisfied?"

"More or less."

"Hey, wake up., Giulietta started gently slapping the two on their faces.

Elizabeth opened her eyes and said, "Huh? I'm sitting? What happened?"

"You fainted, and Giulietta caught you…" Elsa said.

"Oh, how nice. Thank you."

"But you were then groped by her," Sieglinde said with a caustic smile.

"Scratch those thanks," Elizabeth puffed her cheeks and scuttled away slightly from Giulietta.

"Sorry… I couldn't resist the charm of your D-cups…"

"If you were a man I would probably slap you but… Whatever, that was the last time I let myself be groped, conscious or unconscious, understood?"

"Yeah…"

"Who… What…" Marie slowly came to consciousness.

Giulietta looked at Sieglinde with pleading eyes, making her target sigh.

"You just had a phase…" Sieglinde shrugged.

"Oh, maybe the bath was too hot for me."

"For now, just throw your gym clothes on a pile so Aya can wash them for us."

"What pile?"

"This pile," Sieglinde said and threw her sweaty gym clothes on the floor.

Following her lead, a nice stack was formed.

"Oh, I'll get that!" Nami cheered and took the whole bundle on her hands.

After being given directions, she and Aya went to the laundry room.

 **Laundry room**

The laundry room was a bit underwhelming, with an Aurika-70 washing machine, a clothes dryer, a basin and a grate for hand washing, a drying rack, some detergents and some clothe drying lines spanned across.

"Sure looks like our dorms laundry room, huh, Ayaya?"

"Yes… Brings back memories…"

"Okay, let's get this done with. Could you see what that washing powder is worth?" Nami asked while pointing at the detergent.

"Sure."

Aya grabbed one of the boxes and started reading, "Stiral'nyy poroshok IXI 65… Wait a second…"

"What's wrong, Ayaya?"

"I thought… Oooooh, this is the export version."

"Hmmm?"

"IXI is normally sold only in Lehistan, but I guess they export quite a lot to Orussia."

"Oh. But is it any good?"

"So I heard. Let's get the washing machine running."

Nami opened the door and loaded the machine with all the clothes.

"Nami, think we should add some softener?"

"Sure! I want my clothes puffy and fuzzy, heheh…"

Aya grabbed a _Kokosal_ brand softener bottle and poured it along with the washing powder into the appropriate tray. She turned the dials, pressed the needed buttons, and the washing process started.

"You sure know your language, Ayaya."

"Ah… Well, I was always curious of stuff… So I kinda learned Lehish… And the culture of the country…"

"Way! Say something!"

"Jak się masz?"

"What does that mean?"

"How are you."

"Fine, thanks," Nami answered automatically, making Aya giggle. "Oh you! You remembered that!"

"Heheh, you were always polite, Nami. How could I forget about the first real friends I had since fourth grade?"

"I guess you couldn't… So, how much time do we have? An hour?"

"Yeah. Want to do something specific?"

"Let's see what's on the tube!"

"Sure, lets."

 **Commander's office**

The phone on the desk pierced the silence without warning.

"Da?" Ellie asked after picking up the receiver.

She listened in silence, and then as silent as before, she placed the receiver back on the hook.

"What's up, Ellie?" Katie asked.

"Duty calls, my dear friend," Ellie stood up and approached the PA panel. "Everyone, assemble at the main hall lobby, with the exceptions of the night witches. This is not a drill, nor is it not some foolish request on my side. I repeat, assemble at the lobby."

"What are we up against?"

"A lot. Katie, you go too."

"Awright! Commander-in-battle, coming up!"

 **Lobby**

A mere two minutes later, the lobby started filling up with the girls, braced, dressed, and ready. Katie walked before them and said, "We are up against a rather big mass of enemies. The estimates are that there are at least fifty D-4's, ten I-2's, 5 I-3's and, watch out, one HD-2."

Murmuring could be heard amongst the girls, but Katie cut it short, "Don't worry, we're going in a big bunch, and we're all equipped with state of the art weaponry and Strikers. The weather is clear with no overcast and calm wind. This will be a cinch if we keep together, and you listen to me. Unless nobody has got any objections or questions, let's go!"

"Roger!" the girls shouted after a quick glance amongst themselves to confirm that nobody had any issues.

They all ran out into the cold winter day and boarded the cars.

 **Hangar**

"So, who takes what?" Nami asked just as she approached her Striker.

"Right… We have a bit of a predicament, since both you and Elsa can wield enormous, high caliber guns and cannons…"

"I can vouch for her," Shinobu interrupted. "She is insanely proficient with her cannon. And I have an ace up my sleeve myself."

"Okay then. Elsa, take the M61A1."

"Woohoo, minigun action!"

"Now look at you all making plans… What about me?" Katie asked with her voice ringing with mockery, and while resting the barrel of her NSVS on her right shoulder.

"If you have a plan, ma'am, then please divulge it," Aya said.

"My, you sure get serious in battle… Well, you all know yourselves better than Ellie or me so go your loadout is an individual preference, or speaking normal language – do whatever you want. Move it ladies, three minutes tops and we have to leave!"

She observed as the girls loaded their gear. Her eyes widened considerably as Elsa put on one container with ammo on her back, and then attached another one to it.

 _"O ja pierdolę (For fucks sake)…"_

She was a bit easier seeing as Nami loaded a sling with cylinders with various markings, containing 105 milimeter shells. However, one cylinder caught her attention.

"Say, Nami?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"What's with the black cylinder?"

"Ah, that? That's my… Hmm… Special reserve for dire situations. If stuff goes wrong, maybe you'll see it used."

"Now, now, don't be a prophet of doom," she said while waving her finger.

"Heh, okay ma'am."

The other thing that caught her eye was Marie, who was breathing very heavily, on the brink of hyperventilation. She quickly ran up to her and asked, "Is everything okay? Do you need to rest?"

"No ma'am, it's just… About last time…"

"Last time… Last time… Oh… You failed to shoot a Neuroi at almost point blank range… You know what? You'll be going alongside me, I'll take care of you, okay?"

"O-Okay ma'am… If I'm not a burden…"

"Nah, don't worry, I always like new trainees. When I was your age, I could barely shoot a damn AK straight, and look how big a gun I have now!"

"Hahaha, my, that sure is an evolution…"

"Now, don't dawdle anymore."

"Yes ma'am!"

After taking care to look after everyone, Katie ordered the girls to take off

 **Lebyazhye Base**

 **Bedroom**

"What a ruckus…" Tatiana said while stretching herself, still lying down on her back. "Hey, Aina, are you awake?"

"Hrrrummm… Bruummmm…" Aina mumbled from down under.

"You are. Come on, let's get to the radio room and listen to how the battle unfolds."

"Battle? Whuuu…"

"Our commander issued a combat alert, but excluded us two."

"Oh… Okay, let's go…" Aina said with a sleepy voice and Tatiana heard a thud.

"Gospodin…" she muttered to herself. "You use your feet first, you know?"

"Heh… Yeah… Gimme a second…"

Tatiana peeked over the edge of her bunk and saw the sleepy Soumi pulling herself up from the cold floor.

"Let's get a bit dressed first; I doubt parading in our sleep attire during the day will be tolerated."

While they were getting clothed, Aina took notice of one of Tatiana's accessories.

"That's a fancy watch you have there."

"Oh, this? It's a witch special edition Chaika."

"Chaika?"

"Yes, Chaika, or gull in Britannian. You don't wear a watch?"

"I somehow always know the time on instinct. Maybe due to my condition…"

"Whatever fits…"

"Oh and… How do you know there's a radio room in the base?"

"What would a base be without comm equipment?" Tatiana smirked and a complicated array of magic antennas popped over her head. "And I simply feel it, heh…"

"Your Magic Antenna always fascinates me… How damn complicated, like some sci-fi movie grade stuff!"

"I guess I got lucky genes," Tatiana shrugged. "Come on; let's go to that radio room."

They put on their shoes and Tatiana led Aina to a door that was now opened. The Orussian stopped before coming into view and knocked on the doorframe.

"Yes?" they heard Ellie's voice.

Tatiana peeked into the room with a neutral face.

"Oh, I guess you woke up. Your comrade in night duty is also awake?"

"Yes ma'am." Aina said while peering over Tatiana's shoulder.

"Well, sorry for waking you up, but you probably understand."

"No complains on that plane, ma'am."

"You two came to listen how the battle unfolds?"

The two nodded back.

"Then grab some chairs and let's listen."

* * *

 **I hid a rather obvious anime reference. Wonder if anybody sees it…**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	15. Chapter 15 – Nagareboshi

Chapter 15 – Nagareboshi

* * *

 **Airspace 200 km SW of Lebyazhye**

 **2300 meters ASL**

"Targets sighted, roughly what has been estimated," Shinobu said, her right eye glowing purple. "No core abnormalities from what I can estimate."

"Thanks for the intel," Katie said. "As I said earlier, I have only a rough estimate of your skills, so whoever is feeling like she can act independently - do it. The rest can stay by my side and themselves be commanded by me."

"We'll be going then," Aya said.

"We two too," Shinobu added.

"And me," Giulietta said.

After waiting a few seconds for the rest to move, Katie saw that the only ones left with her were her cousin, Elwyn, and Marie.

"Now, this is a rather… weird bunch."

"I operate from a distance, m… Cousin Katie."

"Ah, yes. And Marie is a bit unexperienced. What about you, Elwyn?"

"As if I could do something meaningful around those berserkers."

"Well, that's somewhat valid. We'll attack once the enemy ranks thin out a tad, or if the girls get in a pinch."

"Roger!" the three around Katie shouted.

"But you can, of course, start shooting, Lily," Katie smiled wryly.

"Of course!"

Elizabeth pulled the cocking handle and quickly flipped the covers of her hi-power scope. She took a steady aim and fired the first round.

 ** _Independent_** **group**

"Elsa, spin the barrels already," Aya commanded.

"Kay," Elsa said and flipped a switch on her minigun.

The six barrels started slowly rotating in a steady rhythm, powered by a magical-electric motor.

"Nami, load your gun," Shinobu followed suit. "HESH will be good."

"Roger," Nami said and pulled a canister off her cannon.

A keen eye could see that the markings on it stated **HESH M393**. She stuck it into the back of her gun and pressed a button. One could hear the whiz of the electric autoloader and the canister was ejected.

Suddenly, something zipped past them, and one of the small drones exploded. Most of the girls looked back, and at the same time, they heard a bang.

 **Katie's group**

Elizabeth felt in the mood to throw a thumb up, since almost all of the girls from the other group looked back at her.

"Woooo, nice hit, Lily!" Katie cheered while looking through a compact monocular scope.

Elwyn looked confused at the two and then squinted her eyes towards the Neuroi group.

"You shot something?" Elwyn asked with distrust.

"Yes," Elizabeth replied with a stoic attitude.

"Well, if you say so…"

 ** _Independent_** **group**

"Well, the first shot was fired," Sieglinde said. "You know what that means, Aya?"

"Killing time!" Aya replied with a ferocious voice.

The two boomed forward, instantly crossing the speed of sound.

"Did you hear that voice? Weird…" Nami said.

"I guess she got fired up?"

"The Aya we both know would never talk in such a way… What could possibly…"

"Hey, don't discuss Aya's psychology mid battle," Angela interrupted. "Come on, support the two."

"After you," Shinobu grinned fiercely.

"Just don't moan that there's nothing left to kill," Angela replied in a similar manner and zipped forward.

Shinobu looked around and saw that Giulietta and Elsa were still present.

"So, we going or what?" she asked.

"We're going!" Giulietta cheered.

"Of course we are!" Elsa joined in.

They charged into the fray with Nami holding back a bit.

* * *

Up front, Sieglinde and Aya were giving a show of perfect synchronization, acrobatics, and gun control. The drones were destroyed before the other girls even started shooting. But the Neuroi themselves weren't so reluctant to fight, and both Aya and Sieglinde had to use their shields a few times to bounce a few well aimed beams. When Aya looked at one of the interceptors, just as she aligned the sights, Aya instinctively pulled up her shield and slowed down time. She saw that a tank projectile was heading dead straight for her target. Upon impact, it's tip squashed and the whole thing exploded, obliterating the Neuroi in a bright explosion.

 _"_ _Point for Nami, very good," Aya thought._

"Behind you, Aya!" Elsa shouted.

As Aya was quickly turning around, she saw a fighter type Neuroi, but Elsa ripped it apart in a hail of 20-millimeter armor-piercing incendiary rounds.

 _"_ _She's using the first firing mode… Maybe it's better for now…"_

Shinobu was also paving a way through the enemies, destroying a fighter and two interceptors with her MG.

 **Katie's group**

"High time we move forward," Katie said. "Lily, decision time."

"I need somebody watching my back if I were to come closer."

"Elwyn?" Katie asked while looking at the Liberian.

"Sure, I can go."

"Then Marie, stick close to me."

"Yes ma'am."

"Forward!" Katie shouted and pointed out at the aerial battlefield before them.

 ** _Independent_** **group**

A single interceptor was flying at high speed towards Giulietta, but contrary to all reason, the Romagnan simply charged forward with her shield before her. A white aura surrounded her and she collided with the enemy with a loud bang, ripping it apart.

"Like a true kamikaze…" Shinobu muttered and she squeezed the trigger of her gun, only to find experience a jam. "Shit, my gun jammed!"

Almost immediately, Aya appeared at her back.

"I'm covering you, Shinobu," she said.

 _"_ _Aya… It's like she's a completely different person…"_

Shinobu forcefully pulled the cocking handle, and a dud and link fell out. She quickly pulled the belt one bullet forward and pushed the handle forward.

"Okay, I'm ready! We have to take care of the big guy, he's approaching steadily!"

"I can do it," Aya said.

"Hey, let me have some fun too!"

"Sure, whatever. But if you make a blunder, I'm going in."

"Don't you worry one bit…" Shinobu said with a devilish grin as both her eyes turned purple.

"Two Magan? No, this is…"

"The Magan Kai."

 _"_ _She possesses a Final Art? Very impressive… I think I have to start slowly reevaluating the ones surrounding me…"_

"Now pardon me, I have a big Neuroi to kill," Shinobu said and flared up forward. She started muttering a chant, which somebody fluent in Britannian and Fusogo would hear as, "Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, god of war and strife, killer of thousands, teacher of few, grant me your blessing in this time of need. Let thy divine wrath befall thy enemies, in the name of heavens, I the simple daughter of Yamato, humbly beseech thee."

Shinobu was three thousand meters over the enemy destroyer, and then she grabbed the hilt of her _special_ sword. She drew it with an audible noise. The blade was completely black, but the sides had an ornamentation imitating a white shooting star. She now started free-falling down, and she spoke another chant.

"You, who are as dark as the night, grant me the strength to slay my target with great swiftness. Fall down on my enemies as the celestial body from which you have been given shape. Spark as the star of hope, Nagareboshi!"

The sword started glowing fiercely with magic, and it left an afterimage, so that the girls thought they saw a falling star. The enemy destroyer pulled all its attention to Shinobu, and it fired a single enormous beam towards Shinobu. The Fusojin simply lowered her sword and placed it before her.

"What the…" Katie started, but somebody else finished.

"…fuck!" Elwyn shouted with enormous eyes.

The beam was split in half, and everyone now heard Shinobu's valiant cry.

"REPPUZAN!"

She swung her sword widely from behind her back, and a crescent of indigo colored magic swopped downwards, cutting into the enormous Neuroi, and piercing it with ease. After a few seconds, it exploded violently in a well-known flurry of crystalline flakes.

Shinobu flew up to all of them. She was visibly exhausted, with sweat covering her forehead despite the bone chilling cold. Nami holstered her cannon, and after pulling a tissue out of nowhere, she wiped Shinobu's face.

"Heh, good job, Shinobu."

"Yeah, thanks."

"So denk ich dass du einen Konkurrenten hast (Methinks you have a rival)?" Sieglinde whispered towards Aya.

The silent raven-haired beauty only nodded back.

 _"_ _I do have a rival now. A worthy one."_

"Ho… ly… SHIT!" Katie shouted. "I never thought I would see a Reppuzan used in battle in my whole life!"

"Ugh, well… My nee-san also can do it…" Shinobu scratched her head.

"Your what now?"

"Her older sister," Aya explained. "How does she compare to you?"

"She has my grandma's legendary sword Reppumaru, and that's already something worth noting…" Shinobu mumbled visibly flustered, but she quickly regained her composure, "But we're not that far apart! She's just favored because she was first!"

"I see… I guess we should head back, right ma'am?" Aya asked while looking at Katie.

"Ah, yes, we should. After we destroy the few Neuroi still left."

Aya shrugged and flew up to Elizabeth.

"Mind if I borrow this?"

"Don't break it," Elizabeth replied while handing over her Light Fifty to Aya.

"I won't," she said and quickly took aim.

She fired six subsequent shots, killing six Neuroi with six bullets. She extracted the empty magazine from the mag well, and gave it to Elizabeth along with the rifle.

"Thank you."

"Errr… No problem…?"

Aya looked around at the rest, who were looking back at her with unhidden awe.

"Now now, don't be afraid of Aya now or anything," Elsa tried to defuse the situation. "It's just her combat self right now. Keep calm and carry on."

"Just what does she have hidden in her sleeves…" Shinobu pondered aloud.

"That wasn't even close to her full power," Sieglinde smirked.

"Gods… Aya, what… Ah, fuck it, I'll ask when you're your normal self."

"I think we were supposed to go back?" Elwyn asked.

"Ah, yeah! Going back everyone!"

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Radio room**

"Katie, what happened the past three minutes that you gone so awfully silent?" Ellie asked her friend and subordinate through the radio.

"Uh, um… Some incredible stuff happened… It would be best if I'd tell you personally."

"Sure thing, Katie. Come back safe."

"Yeah, I will."

"So you three, got your share of entertainment for today?" Ellie said while looking back at them.

"Three?" Aina asked surprised and looked behind herself.

Kola peered out from the corridor and waved towards them.

"You sure are sneaky, Kola. Maybe I should lock your door during the night?" Ellie asked with a wry smile.

"I doubt I would get away with defiling one of the girls with all of them in one place," he shrugged lazily. "Not that I would try anyway."

"Bah, I hope! But I have a feeling that Sieglinde alone would rip you a new one if it came to it."

"You think?"

"Did you see her body?"

"How could I?"

"Ah, well… I can only tell you she looks like a bodybuilder. With tits."

Kola raised his right eyebrow slightly and unbuttoned the suspender of his overalls.

"W-What are you doing?" Ellie asked slightly surprised.

With a swift movement, he pulled of his sweater, revealing that at least his upper body looked as if it were sculpted from granite.

"I can take my chances with her."

"Woaaaaaaah…" Aina exclaimed and started poking his abs. "Looks like a turtle shell. And almost feels like it. You look like Conan the Barbarian!"

"Who now?" Ellie and Tatiana tilted their heads.

"A character from a movie, duh?"

"Well, I know who Conan is, but I never knew they made a movie," Ellie answered. "And pull down your sweater already!"

"Yes, yes…"

"Anyway, go and greet the girls or something when you get dressed up."

"Sure thing, boss."

"Hey, don't call me boss! We went on a first name basis just because I wanted to avoid that!"

"As you wish, Ellie," Kola smiled. "Hey you two, coming with me?"

"I'm still a bit sleepy to be honest…" Tatiana said.

"And I feel the call of nature now…" Aina said while rubbing her knees together.

"Okay, I'm going alone the," Kola said and exited the room.

 **Outside**

Since all the cars, except for the snowplow, were absent, Kola decided that he would simply run to the hangar. It took him only eighty seconds, a good time for somebody of his posture.

"Yeah, I still have it in me… Let's see, what can I do… The hangar door is opened wider than the legs of an underage Siam prostitute… There's no snow that could make the landing difficult, and the same goes for ice… I'll just wait," he said to himself and leaned over one of the Striker Units. "I wonder whose is it? Let's see… A flag of the Bundesrepublik of Karlsland… So that cuts down the odds greatly," he searched a bit more, but found no special marks whatsoever. "Well, this is a nice lottery. I can bump either into Miss Schwarzenegger, that brown haired ditz, the cold redhead or… the black haired devushka… Whew, it's surprisingly hot in here…"

His wait wasn't long, as the girls needed only twenty more seconds to taxi into the hangar.

"How was it, ladies?" Kola asked with his hand raised in a greeting.

"Aya mopped the floor with the Neuroi!" Elwyn cheered.

"O-Oh c-come on…" Aya blushed so hard that Kola saw it from fifty meters.

"No, no, you're a prodigy," Katie said. "Praise is due and necessary."

"O-Okay ma'am…"

"Please, just Katie."

Aya nodded cheerfully with a big smile on her face.

"Girls, dock your Strikers, and let's go back for a debriefing," Katie ordered. "Afterwards, I guess it's dinner time."

"Aaaaw, but Moore said she'd make me a sports bra…"

"That true, Cous?" Katie asked.

"Indeed," Elizabeth replied indifferently.

"Ah crap… Elwyn has KP duty…"

"I only need ten minutes to take the measurements off her," Elizabeth said.

"Ten minutes? Okay, that will do. I'll only pick some of you for the debrief, and most certainly not you and Elwyn."

"Where there's a will, there's a way…" Elwyn muttered.

The girls started docking to their Launch Units. Aya taxied up to hers, turned around just before reaching it and jumped onto the clamps, which closed themselves automatically, securing the Lilie.

Aya jumped out of the Striker back onto the Launch Unit, but by some weird strike of fate, she somehow lost her balance.

"Whaaa!" she screamed, but lo and behold, she was caught by Kola.

"Now, now, acrobatics belong in the gym," he said with a cheeky smile.

"T-T-T-T-T-Th-Th-Tha…" Aya stuttered like a machine gun, with her face so red it could be used as a landing beacon.

"Let her down already," Sieglinde growled.

Kola looked at her and saw that her face was distorted in a furious frown.

"And what if I don't want to? I'm not exactly holding her captive…" Kola said with a roguish smile.

"Why you!" Sieglinde made a step forward, but Angela was fast enough to hold her back by simply placing her hand on Sieglinde's shoulder. "What?!"

Angela forcefully bent her friend down a bit and whispered something to her.

"No fucking way!" Sieglinde yelled suddenly, surprised by what she heard. "Seriously?!"

Angela nodded affirmatively and seriously.

"Hey, hey, what's the secret?" Elsa asked while jumping around the two.

"You're not ready for this," Angela said and flicked Elsa in the nose.

"Ouch… Meanie Angela…" Elsa muttered with a pouty face while rubbing her nose.

Both Sieglinde and Kola stared at each other, but the former gave up, huffed, and turned her head around.

"Wonder what that's all about…" Kola muttered.

"Uuuuuhmm…" Aya's voice came from down under.

"Oh, I'm still holding you. Such a sweet weight I don't even feel it, hahaha!" Kola laughed and let Aya stand on her own two legs.

Aya took a deep breath, shouted, "Thankyouforsavingme!" and ran away to her Karlslander comrades.

 _"_ _What a weird girl… But it really was nice to hold her like that… Nyet, Kola, durak (moron)! She's a soldier, you're a soldier! And simple cannon fodder to boot! And she's the granddaughter of a man that outweighs even your own heritage! This can't warrant a good outcome… Know your place…"_

"Hey, Angela…" Aya whispered to her red haired friend.

"Hmm?"

"Did… Did you tell Sigi what I think you said?"

"I had to calm her down somehow, or she would pummel the poor sap."

"B-But don't spread this out… I… I'm not certain y-yet…"

"Yes, yes, you saw how I told off Elsa."

"Heh thanks…"

"So, was it nice being held like a princess? Or a bride going through the doorstep?" Angela asked with a wry smile.

Aya could only answer with an increased blood flow to her facial area.

"Oh Aya… No wonder Sieglinde is so overprotective of you…" Angela sighed.

"Baaawww, what are you whispering about again?!" Elsa voiced her disapproval vividly. "Let me in on the secret!"

"Nope," both Aya and Angela said and turned their heads sideways.

"Come on gals, nothing to do here anymore," Katie said. "To the cars, now."

"Roger," all the girls responded.

"You can go too, big guy." Katie said with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"If you're inviting, why not."

 **Bedroom**

"Now, get the top of your uniform off and raise your hands," Elizabeth said towards Elwyn.

"Sure, no problem. But for the love of God, get that damn Romagnan out of here!"

Giulietta looked at Elwyn with a frowny face and said, "At least you're nice enough not to add more invectives… There's usually at least two more…"

"Oh... Sorry…" Elwyn said baffled. "But you know that your opinion is _tainted_."

"Not my fault…" Giulietta sighed. "Sins of fathers and stuff…"

"You can stay if you want, but just stop ogling me. I feel like I'm the star of a damn peep show!"

"Yeah, sure," the Romagnan said and lied down on her bunk.

"Where were we… Ah, clothes off," Elizabeth said.

"Right…"

 **Commander's office**

"So you are capable of performing the Reppuzan…" Ellie said while looking curiously at Shinobu.

"Yes ma'am, thrice daily at most, and only with Nagareboshi."

"Your second sword, right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"So that's why it's so special?"

"Indeed. It's a magically forged sword, but I can't disclose any information on how it came to be or how I acquired it."

"And why don't you just use it normally?"

"Because that would be easy mode," Shinobu said proudly.

"Oh you stubborn Fusojins…" Ellie sighed. "Well, that surely was a good battle, my dear ladies. Feel yourselves dismissed and free."

"Yes ma'am," Aya, Shinobu, and Sieglinde saluted and went out of the room.

"We sure have a small jewel in our unit, huh?" Katie asked her colleague.

"You mean Aya or Shinobu?"

"Ah, so you noticed her potential already?"

"Yup. I have a feeling that what Aya is showing us is just the icing on the top of a multilayered cake…"

"Maybe one day we'll see the filling of that cake, but I guess we can't exactly force her to show it."

"Is that your assessment?"

"Yes it is, Ellie."

"Then we'll go with that for a while. Now, make our girls a nice dinner why don't you? And don't forget about our little potty mouth."

"Sure thing. She's prolly measured by now…"

"Measured?"

"Lily is making a sport bra for her."

"With her boobs no wonder she needs one…" Ellie pouted.

"Envious, my dear friend? It's not like we have small ones ourselves, right?" Katie said while grabbing her pair from the underside through the uniform.

"Only a bit. The guys from maintenance at the Okęcie Air Base have always swooned over us anyway, right?"

"You sure got that right, hahaha… ha… ha…" Katie's laugh ended abruptly as a tear appeared in the corner of her right eye. "I miss the old days…"

"Me too… Me too…" Ellie said quietly, stood up from her chair, and hugged her friend.

 **Corridor**

"Really? You're not using the sword because it would be too easy?" Sieglinde asked with a mocking tone.

"If you had the proficiency of me or my nee-san, I would be damn afraid to stand near you if you had Nagareboshi in your hands."

"So it's THAT good?"

"Let's say that Masakuni is a toothpick in comparison. Maybe I should give it to you, Aya?"

"N-No, thanks…"

"Come on! You beat the crap out of me with a wooden sword in the days!"

"Sssshh! Leave that for supper…"

"Oh, right… I guess you want to save all the stuff your _friends_ don't know about you for later… Heh…"

"What are you implying?" Sieglinde asked visibly irritated.

"I'm _implying_ that you're a second grade friend, since you don't know a whole damn half year from Aya's life, mighty important I must say."

"Oh you!"

Sieglinde rushed at Shinobu angrily, but Aya stopped her in her tracks by propping her hands against Sieglinde. By sheer luck, she grabbed her breasts.

"A-A-Aya-ya-ya, I'm n-not ready y-y-yet!" Sieglinde stuttered in panic.

"Oh stop, Sigi…" Aya said after moving her hands. "I didn't tell you because… well, I'll explain later. Just wait for supper, and don't kill Shinobu until then, kay?"

"Sure, sure… But only out of respect for her combat skills…" Sieglinde mumbled. "Let's see if Thunder Tits has her bra done already…"

"Ugh, Sigi, don't call Elwyn like that! It's not her fault that her breasts are even bigger than yours…"

"Damn, I would have to gain five kilograms of muscles to offset such a huge rack…"

"Not like you're balanced now…" Shinobu snickered.

"Oh shut the fuck up! Do you know how hard it is to have such a body like mine AND such boobs at the same time? I'll tell you – it's a titanic effort! It's double the effort of mindlessly pumping iron! If I just mindlessly worked out, my abs would be rounder than my chest!"

"Geez, calm down a bit… I didn't mean to offend you or anything, relax. I had a fanatic of bodybuilding in my unit too. You could bend nails on her, but yeah, no boobs whatsoever could be found on her."

"All right... Nevertheless, to give you justice, you also have a nice bod of your own. Ever thought about bodybuilding yourself?"

"I'm not into such a thing. I prefer to hone my sword fighting skills, and the needed muscles will develop on their own during my training. But thank you for your concern"

"If you'll need any tips, just holler."

"Yeah."

"See, you're getting along better already," Aya giggled.

"No we're not!" they both yelled in accord, making Aya outright laugh.

"Well anyway…" Shinobu muttered shyly. "Aya, what's the big secret Pigtails was yelling about?"

Aya stopped walking and looked around carefully. After that, she started poking her index fingers together and said, "Ummm… Don't tell this to Elsa… or Nami… But… Errr… I… I think… I think I'm in love with… K-Kola…"

Shinobu whistled in admiration and said, "My, my… I see that the Aya I once knew is almost completely gone… But taking into account your current state, aren't you mistaking it with your normal anxiety towards people? Or maybe… dunno… androphobia?"

"No… When I'm scared of a stranger, I feel differently than when interacting with Kola… Totally… Like night and day…" Aya said with a warm smile on her face.

"But how? I mean we are here only a few days, and you interacted with him directly how many times?"

"Err… I piggybacked him to screw in some lightbulbs… He helped regain balance after I bumped into him… And the third time you know already."

"A maiden's heart is surely a fluttery phenomenon…" Shinobu sighed. "Not that I have any experience, but I wish you the best."

"Heehee thanks."

Shinobu saw that Sieglinde had a sorrowful face, but she didn't dig into the issue right now.

 _"_ _Poor girl… I think I know what's going on, but I won't pry… No, a Fusojin never pries into personal matters, unless the other person is family…"_

 **Bedroom**

"Aaaaand done I guess," Elizabeth said while jotting down the last measurement onto a piece of paper. "You're free."

"Uh, thanks…"

"No problem, I need something to keep me busy anyway," Elizabeth smiled. "Now I believe you have duty?"

"Yeeeeeeeeaaaaah… I guess I should show some initiative or something now. See you at dinner."

"There's a chance your new piece of lingerie will be ready by then," Elizabeth winked.

"Heh…"

Elwyn put on her normal bra, and she slowly went towards the exit while buttoning herself up. The door opened, and Aya, Sieglinde, and Shinobu came in.

"Sup?" Elwyn asked.

"Nothing," Shinobu said. "We got debriefed, and now we can focus on ourselves."

"Your words say one thing, but I think you thought "training time" right now," Elwyn grinned.

"I'm not THAT over-the-top with training. First some rest after the battle, then dinner, and finally training."

"Well, I'm going to be part of that second item on your list, so till later!" Elwyn said and ran off into the corridor.

"What was that all about again?" Shinobu asked.

"She's having KP duty," Elizabeth explained. "But I don't know the details."

The three looked at each other, and then Sieglinde said, "We kind of have a lead."

"Oh?"

"Remember… hmmm… what happened in the bath?"

"How could I forget…?" Elizabeth looked at Giulietta with disdain, making the latter lower her head.

"But do you remember how it came to it?"

"Came to what?"

"You fainted."

"I did? What happened?"

"Elwyn came in with her face soaked in blood."

Elizabeth swayed a bit and leaned forward. Aya ran up immediately and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Hemophobia…" Elizabeth said faintly. "If I see blood, I simply switch off…"

"Oh… Really? S-Such a strong reaction?"

"Yes… During my period I have my mother and later female medics change my pads…" Elizabeth shuddered. "I don't know how I came to this…"

"Poor you…" Aya said and her hand hovered over Elizabeth's back, but she stopped midway.

"You can do it if you want," the Britannian gave a faint smile.

Aya's hand gently fell on Elizabeth's back. She looked up and said, "Marie?"

"Yeeees?" the Gallian said while peeking over from the top bunk.

"Why did YOU faint?"

"Errr… Well, Elwyn looked scary, heh…" Marie said a bit uncertainly.

"Oh…"

"What did I miss?" Tatiana asked.

"Well, you see…" Elsa started unexpectedly but paused for a second seeing Giulietta's pleading face. "…it all started…"

* * *

 **Nagareboshi literally translates into "shooting star."**

 **Final Arts – the ultimate level of power for an innate ability in this universe, first introduced in "Our Victory Awaits"**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	16. Chapter 16 – Know me better

Chapter 16 – Know me better

* * *

 **Kitchen**

Elwyn yet again looked around the kitchen, this time from a professional standpoint. She tried to memorize where all the pots and pans were, what the cold room has in stock et cetera.

"Didn't I tell you something?" Katie's voice rang across the kitchen.

This time Elwyn only shuddered slightly, and said, "I'm here because I have to know my battlefield, heh…"

"Oh really now? Commendable effort! Now, what can you do in the kitchen? And I hope burning water ain't it?"

"Burning water? I may look a bit like a geek, but I can cook for myself!"

"We're doing something fancy, namely schnitzel with mashed taters. You up for it?"

"Never made a schnitzel but…"

"Taters it is then, hop to it."

"Yeah, yeah… Guess you got some guidelines, huh?"

"Is the world flat? Of course I did! But don't worry, I won't torture you. Work hard and earnestly, and maybe Ellie will shorten your sentence a bit," Katie smiled but then, she frowned suddenly. "But I would prefer somebody else as my kitchen hand…"

"And who would that be?"

"Lily of course…"

"Aaaaah… You have some big time catching up to do…"

"Yeah… If there only was a way I could…" her eyes sparked suddenly and her frown turned into a devilish grin. "Elwyn, help me with this one, and I'll pay for your satellite TV from my own pocket! I'll even take the fucking tank and drive to Kamyshyn for it! Or even Volgograd!"

"Okay, okay, calm down, Katie!"

"Kay, kay… Well, are you in?"

"Explain first, and then I'll decide."

"This is a longshot, but I remember what pissed off Lily like nothing else – tongue twisters."

"Tongue twister? Seriously?"

"Yup. She literally abhorred them, using every kid swear word she could when she failed."

"Soooo… You probably want to try and make her mad in front of the Commander?"

"As if you're reading my mind, heh…"

"That's a little underhanded but… I guess you two should re-friend each other or something… Okay, I'll do it. But if it backfires on me…"

"I'll compensate you accordingly, don't worry!" Katie cheered while grabbing Elwyn's shoulders.

"Yeeaaaah… But I guess now I should start with them taters, huh?"

"Oh, right, kurwa! Come on, I'll set you up!"

 **Dining hall**

 **Dinnertime**

"My, you sure outdone yourself today, Katie!" Ellie praised her compatriot and patted her on the back.

"Elwyn helped me big time, so I guess some praise should be directed her way."

"Really now? Well then, feel yourself praised, Elwyn," Ellie said with a cheeky smile.

"Heh, thanks ma'am."

Elwyn saw a specific nod from Katie, so she took a deep breath and proceeded with her task.

"Say, Moore?"

"Yes?"

"How good are you with tongue twisters?"

"Tongue twisters? I… Don't know actually…"

"Oh? Then try repeating after me – Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

"What now?" Elsa asked.

"That's the name of a song," Elwyn explained. "So, Moore?"

"Sup… Supercar… Supercalifraagar…" a big vein started bulging on her forehead and she yelled, "What the fuck is this shit?! How can somebody come up with such a godfuckingretarded name for a fucking song?! How motherfucking high would you have to be to write such a thing?! Is that even fucking Britannian?! For fucks sake!"

"Matko Boska (Mother of God)…" Katie whispered in awe.

The rest looked stupefied at the angry huffing Elizabeth, but this was soon interrupted.

"Pilot Officer Moore, you will join Miss Clarke in her punishment," Ellie said with a calm voice.

"W-Wh…" Elizabeth covered her mouth suddenly. "Awmygud…" she uncovered her mouth and said, "I-I don't know how this happened ma'am… I just… I really…"

"Apologize," Katie said with a dramatic whisper.

"I'm sorry ma'am. This won't happen again."

"I do sincerely hope so."

"Come on, Lily, let's do the dishes then," Katie said after embracing her cousin with one arm.

"Okay…" she replied sadly.

"Me too?" Elwyn asked.

"Of course!"

"Yeah, coming…"

The three started gathering plates, and just as Katie took the plate from Ellie, the latter whispered, "I'll talk to you later."

"Busted…" Katie whimpered.

Ellie only smiled to her compatriots words.

"Everyone, thirty minute break, and who has afternoon training should already start preparing slowly!" Sieglinde said loudly.

"Me too?" Ellie giggled.

"If you want, ma'am."

"No, I can't. I have to watch the phones and comms at all time. But let not your workout spirit be troubled, I do exercises in my office."

"Good to hear ma'am," Sieglinde smiled and turned around.

"Okay, I'm going my way," Ellie said while standing up. "Behave, my ladies."

"Yes ma'am!" all present responded cheerfully.

After everyone but those on duty left, said three went into the kitchen with stacks of plates and cutlery.

"Okay then… Lily, you wash the dishes with me, and Elwyn, you dry them off and make nice stacks."

"Kay," the two responded.

* * *

Halfway into it, after a period of solemn silence, Elizabeth asked herself aloud, "What the bloody hell possessed me?"

"Well, you sure slung a nice string of curses, a sailor would be proud of you," Elwyn said with a grin on her face.

"I admit that I lose my temper sometimes, but over a tongue twister? I really didn't know I had it in me…"

Katie looked meaningfully at Elwyn, an after the latter sighed and nodded, she said, "Cousin… We might have played you…"

"Played me? Huh?" Elizabeth asked truly surprised.

"The thing is… I used your little flaw of character I knew since we were kids…"

"But why?!" Elizabeth exploded. "Now I have damn KP until…"

"The day after tomorrow," Elwyn said.

"Great… Fucking A… I have the impulse to just smash these plates into your faces."

"I… I did it so I could spend some time with you!" Katie shouted unexpectedly.

"You sure have some fucking nerve, Cousin. You could have just asked me, but no, you make up some fucking ruse and you even…" Elizabeth stopped and calmed down almost instantaneously, seeing that Katie started tearing up. "Hey, why are you crying now?"

"It's… It's because I hate this situation! You're memories of me vanished, and I don't know how to handle you! You were my best friend, and now I feel like we're strangers… And… And…" Katie's voice started failing her as tears flooded her face.

First wiping her hand off her uniform, Elizabeth hugged her cousin and said, "Dear Lord… I didn't even imagine I was so important to you… But you really didn't have to make such elaborate ploys to gain my attention, really… Stupid Kaśka…"

"Wait, what did you say?"

"What did I say, really… It just came to me… What does that even mean?"

"Kaśka is the diminutive for Katherine in Lehish… You always called me that, just like I call you Lily…"

Elizabeth grabbed her forehead with a grimace of pain.

"Lily, what's going on?!"

"This always happens when I try to remember something… But this time… I see… Stół z powyłamywanymi nogami…"

Katie gasped and said, "Jezu Chryste Wszechmogący (Jesus Christ Almighty)… That was the one tongue twister I annoyed you with for an eon! You told me you would learn to pronounce it just so I would buzz off!"

"Errrr… I don't mean to interrupt, but that did that stool z whatever mean?" Elwyn asked.

"A table with broken off legs. Tell if to a foreigner and he'll shit himself rather than pronouncing it."

"Oh, kay, carry on."

"Where was I…" Elizabeth said. "Ah! Please, Katie, if you want to spend time with me, just ASK me, okay?"

"Sure… I'm sorry for this… And please don't be mad at Elwyn."

"Heh, sorry anyway, Moore…"

"You did it in good will, I can't be mad at you. And for everything that's holy, stop calling me Moore! I'm Elizabeth!"

"Only if you call me Elwyn!"

"Deal!" Elizabeth cheered and extended her hand to Elwyn.

Elwyn in turn shook the hand extended to her, but the Britannian suddenly reeled her in, so that she had to embrace both her and Katie not to fall.

"Hey, the hell was that for!?"

"Come on, let's all have a big hug, and return to work, huh? What do you say, Katie?"

"Why not!" Katie cheered and squeezed the two. "Damn, your rack sure feels massive…"

"Buheheheh…"

"Ah, right, I'm almost finished with my handiwork, Elwyn! Some finishing touches and your makeshift sports bra will be done."

"Damn fast… I like!"

"Now, now, now…" Ellie's voice suddenly sounded in the kitchen. "Now I know everything."

Elwyn and Katie suddenly found it interesting to profusely examine the kitchen floor with their eyes.

"At least you're showing some humility… Well now, time for some dispositions. Miss Moore, or Elizabeth if you prefer, your punishment is reduced by one day. Miss Clarke, nothing changes in your case, sorry. Katie, you and those two are to train together this afternoon and every afternoon from now on."

"Huh? Why so?" Katie asked.

"Read between the lines…" Ellie smiled mysteriously.

"Between the lines… Errr… Oh! Thanks, Ellie!"

"No problem. Now, resume your work my ladies, the plates won't clean themselves."

Coordinated, the three saluted and shouted, "Yes ma'am!"

"Hahaha, that's the attitude!" Ellie gave a heartfelt laugh and went her way.

"Hey, Katie, what did our commander mean?" Elwyn asked.

"She basically forced us three to spend time together," Katie shrugged.

"Damn, not bad… But hey, why the fuck am I bound to you two?!"

"You are, and that's final. Don't try to talk back to Ellie, or she will stomp you into the ground."

"Seriously?" Elizabeth asked.

"Ellie is a really caring person, but when it's time to be hard, a diamond couldn't scratch her. She has her convictions, which she will follow strictly."

"Thanks for the warning," Elwyn said. "Time to finish or Elizabeth here won't finish my boob holder in time!"

"Yeah, time to work!" Elizabeth cheered.

 **A bit later**

 **Bedroom**

"Looks… Weird… But it sure feels okay," Elwyn said after getting a first fit of her makeshift bra.

"Jump around a bit, see if it's tight enough," Elizabeth said.

"Yeah sure… But… Why the hell is everyone looking at me, damn it?!" Elwyn yelled visibly irritated by almost every inhabitant of the room looking at her.

"Get used to it. You'll probably be using it in a few minutes like that anyway," Sieglinde said and pulled on her training tank top. "Hmmm… Aya, you sure didn't skimp on softener…"

"Heheh, is it nice and fluffy?"

"Yes. And it smells… Nice…"

"Hoho, I didn't know you'd use such words in such context…" Shinobu snickered.

"It's the small things," Sieglinde said without much emotion and looked at the jumping Elwyn.

"And?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not bad, I must say. You sure know how to do your thing, Elizabeth. Thanks!"

"Twas a triffle. Now excuse me, I have to prepare myself."

"Mmmmm…" Giulietta whimpered, looking at the Liberian the same way as a cat looks at a running mouse.

"No," Elwyn said firmly.

"Mmmmm!" Giulietta whimpered with increased intensity.

"The lady said no," Sieglinde, who suddenly appeared at Giulietta's side, said and bonked her on the head.

"Bawwwww…" the Romagnan sulked and turned around, seeing Aina and Tatiana. "Consolation prizes…"

"Fuck you too," Tatiana smiled brightly.

 **Half an hour later**

 **Kola's room**

 _"_ _I'm bored… Bored like hell… Or like two hells… Hmmm… Maybe I should frequent the gym? I used it daily before, but now I have some kind of aversion or something… Jeez, time to change this. I'm the only MAN here, not some kind of closet faggot in a devout Christian family!"_

Kola dragged himself off his bed and looked around the room. He quickly pinpointed a small cupboard and approached it. From its depths, he pulled out standard issue training attire, consisting of olive drab shorts and a matching tee. Taking less than a minute, he changed his clothes and ran out of his room.

 **Gym**

"Say, Angela?" Sieglinde asked while doing reps with a heavy looking weight.

"Hmm?" Angela who was assisting her replied.

"Did you notice something about the three that were doing kitchen work?"

Angela looked towards the mentioned three, who were teamed up against Tatiana, Aya, and Elsa in a soccer match.

"Hummm… Well, they sure look friendly towards each other… I wonder what happened today?"

"I don't know what it is, but the girls sure look happy. All of them."

Angela saw the door opening, and an unexpected guest came in. She looked at the guest from top to bottom, whistled in admiration, and said, "Hey, Sieglinde, look at this sight."

"What is it? I still have two reps left."

"Take your time then."

Sieglinde did the two reps, hooked the weight, and sat straight while looking at Angela.

"So, what's up?"

Angela only pointed out towards the door silently. Sieglinde looked over where her colleague pointed out.

"Oh, it's you…" she said a bit disappointed, but not stopping to lustrate Kola from top to bottom and side to side. "What do you want?"

"I'm a soldier in this unit too, and I want to do some exercise. Can't let these muscles go to waste, right?"

"Hmmm… Indeed, you're right…" Sieglinde scratched her chin. "Come on, tough guy, let's see if you can fill in my shoes."

"And lift that? Whatever now."

"Girls, stop!" Angela said loudly and looked over to the playing teams.

Just as she did it, Aya shot a goal and started cheering wildly with Elsa.

"Hey, Aaaaayaaaaa!" Angela shouted.

"Whaaaaat?"

"Come on, let's swap. I want to play too."

"Oh, sure!"

"Good game, Aya!" Elsa cheered and raised her hand.

Aya slapped a high five and ran over to Sieglinde and company. Angela placed her hand on Aya's shoulder and whispered, "Don't waste this occasion."

"Huh?" she looked at Angela walking away, but then, she noticed Kola. "O-O-Oh h-hi there…"

"Hello. Will you be assisting me?"

"M-M-Me? S-S-S-Sure…"

"Now, with such fine maidens surrounding me, workout will be a pleasure!"

"Hey, hey, not so fast, bub! Warm up!" Sieglinde protested as Kola moved forward. "And you don't need nobody assisting you at that."

"You're the boss here," Kola shrugged. "Any proposals?"

"Uh, well…" Sieglinde said a bit derailed. "Come on, I'll show you, or you'll hurt yourself!" she commanded.

 _"_ _I wonder why Angela swapped with me? Is it because… Noooooooooooooooo… Are they really trying to do this? I mean I… This is actually nice… I just hope they won't be to nosy about this… Now if I only could muster up some courage… Hmm… Maybe I'll do some small lifting myself." Aya tumbled around in her mind._

Aya moved on to a rack with dumbbells and picked a pair for herself.

 _"_ _This should do…"_

She worked out while looking at how Sieglinde threw Kola around half of the gym. After a few minutes, a bit sweaty but still with a smile on his face, Kola laid down on the bench which Sieglinde previously occupied.

"R-R-Ready?" Aya asked.

"Sure, I'll go ahead."

Kola proceeded with his workout, and then Sieglinde said, "I'll go do my own thing…"

"Sure, go," Aya said. "I'll manage."

"It looks like your friend is a bit too overprotective," Kola said after the first set.

"R-Really? I didn't n-notice…"

"Well, she IS your friend after all, you are a bit biased. But she sure gave me a run during that warm up…"

"Heehee… S-Sigi is a bit o-overzealous when it c-comes to training…"

"That body of hers didn't come out of nowhere, that's for sure! Damn, what a sight…"

"Y-You like h-how Sigi looks?"

"As a hundred percent man, I do."

"A-A-And w-w-what ab-about m-me?"

"You? Let me see…" Kola sat straight and looked at her. "You also look good. If I would use an analogy, her body is pro racing spec, and yours is _just_ racing spec. But you both have your merits."

"M-Me…Me…" Aya's head started spinning a little and she started swaying.

"Hey, hey, stay with me!" Kola said aloud and grabbed her arm.

"Wah!" she shouted and pulled her arm out of his hand. "Oh… S-Sorry… I d-didn't mean to o-overreact l-like that…"

"And least you didn't faint, that's something," Kola smiled.

"I… I didn't… Thanks…" Aya mumbled with a red face.

"Truly amazing… When I heard about your performance in combat, you're like death incarnate. But around me you just seem to trip, fall, and whatever."

"It's… It's because… I.. I can't say it now…"

"Whatever you want to say, don't push yourself," Kola said softly.

Aya nodded and returned to her original position.

"A-Are you continuing?"

"Yeah. You should lift some dumbbells like you did previously in the meantime, no sense in idly standing."

"O-Okay… Good idea…"

The two proceeded, and after Kola finished, he sat on the bench and said, "Nice to train again. And it really was better, because… Well, have you ever been into a gym where only men train?"

"Ummm… No…"

"Let me tell you something – don't. You would keel over from the stench of sweat and testosterone."

"Heehee… O-Okay, I'll remember this," Aya said with a faint smile.

"Finished?" Sieglinde asked out of nowhere.

"My arms have had their workout for today, that's for sure."

"Then how about some legwork before we all finish, hmm?"

"If you insist..."

"I do."

"Fine then, let's go."

"And what about me?" Aya asked.

"Youuuu… Oh whatever, come with us, since three on three is already a crowd in here," Sieglinde said with a sour face.

After some time, Sieglinde shouted, "Everyone, end for today! I hope you enjoyed it!"

The cheers of the girls, although a bit dim, were definitely heard.

"And how about you?" she looked at Kola.

"You drive a hard bargain, but as you see, I could keep up with your tortures."

"Ugh… Yeah… Anyway, we're all going to bathe, so it's best you don't even be in the vicinity of the bath."

"Does that need any explanations? Do you think I'm some pervert that wants to look up naked teenagers?"

"Weeeeeellll…"

"Sigi…" Aya bumbled angrily.

"Okay, okay, I know… Can't I have some fun?"

"Not at the cost of others feelings," Aya said firmly.

"I'll go to my room then," Kola said. "Till supper, I presume."

Kola walked away out of the room nonchalantly.

"Damn he's ripped. Basically a male version of you," Katie said. "I sure wouldn't resist much if he pinned me down…"

"Hey, hey, no erotic stuff here!" Sieglinde protested.

"Kidding, kidding! But maybe you would?"

"Please… I don't just sleep with a man just because he looks like a statue… And proportionally has better muscles than me… Fuck I'm envious…" Sieglinde sighed.

"But you have something he doesn't have."

"And what is that?" Sieglinde asked curiously.

"These!" Katie shouted and trusted both her hand forwards, aimed at Sieglinde's chest.

However, with great swiftness, Sieglinde dodged her.

"Unfair!" Katie yelled, still looking at Sieglinde.

"You still got your share of boobs," Sieglinde shrugged. "Although please, stop."

Katie looked forward and saw that she was grabbing the pairs of Aya, whose face was now red, and she was mumbling, "N-Now y-y-you h-h-have t-to t-t-take r-responsibility…"

"Wagh!" Katie's hands shot up immediately. "Sorry!"

"I'm envious…" Giulietta mumbled with a sulky face to match.

"Let's go already…" Shinobu sighed deeply. "Or this will end in an even more debauchery…"

"Yeah, let's…" Katie muttered.

 **Kola's room**

 _"_ _I still feel Aya's sweet scent… She smells very nice, despite that she was working out… Like some kind of flower basked in the morning dew… And she really looks hot in her gym clothes, shit! Her friend may have bigger tits, and an overall better body but… Aya's eyes… And hair… And her peaceful demeanor… If she was my woman, I would bring down a star from the firmament, if she so pleased… Maybe I should make her my woman? I don't have any rivals here, unless that Romagnan stays true to what she said about herself… But Aya doesn't look like she swings that way… No… She has something pure in herself… And her smile… I want to protect that smile… Mother, there's a chance I found somebody who will bear your grandchildren! Ancestors, wish me luck!"_

Kola now pulled off his shirt and slumped down on his bed, with only his shorts and the briefs under them covering his body.

 **Sometime later**

 **Bath**

"Last one to exit notifies Kola!" Katie cheered and ran out of the changing room.

"I can go…" Aya raised her hand shyly, turning the eyes of most of the girls, and even returning Katie back. "Y-Y-Y-You're r-r-reading t-t-to m-m-much into this!" she waved her hands violently before her as a sign of protest.

"Oh do we?" Giulietta asked. "Aya, with my exception as a lesbian, there's a lot of hot girls here. If you want to place dibs on him, better do it now, before any misunderstandings occur."

Aya slowly turned her face towards the wall., and barely audibly, she whispered, "Dibs…"

"No way!" Elsa shouted. "Aya, was that the secret?!"

"Yes," Angela answered in her stead.

"But that's wonderful! If only that Kola guy is on the same wavelength, this could be something groundbreaking!"

"Hot damn giggity…" Katie said. "A love budding in a military unit… Nothing new to be honest. Well, fuck, your grandparents legacy must have bitten you in the ass, bahahahaha!"

"Heh…" Aya laughed briefly.

"Okay, go tell Kola he can get in here in a few minutes. But for the love of whatever deity you believe in, DO NOT DO ANYTHING INDECENT!"

"Y-Y-Yes ma'am!"

"You don't want to be knocked up before he even proposes to you, or make all the girls around jealous, right?"

"N-No..."

"See? We understand each other perfectly! Go for it!"

Aya nodded and walked forward.

"STOP!" Sieglinde yelled.

"Sigi… I know you…"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Sieglinde shouted and ran up to Aya.

She grabbed her panties and pulled them up forcefully.

"At least don't send the wrong signals…" she mumbled.

Aya's face reddened and she barely could squeeze out a "Thanks." She walked back, and just as a precaution, she pulled on her tights.

"If you don't come out in… five minutes, we'll enter the room with full prejudice," Katie winked.

"M-Ma'am! I-I'm not some…"

"Yeah, yeah, I understand haha! Oh damn… I must have a screw loose for milking this situation… Go already, or my jokes will get even more venomous."

Aya didn't have to think twice and she ran off into the corridor.

"Wow… Just wow…" Elwyn said.

"What is it, Elwyn? Are YOU perhaps envious?" Katie asked.

"Nah… I had my share with men."

"Oh, do tell!"

"Maybe another time, I believe we have some story time planned for supper?"

"Indeed," Sieglinde said. "We'll get to know about Aya's school days… Something even I don't know about…"

"It sure is weird Aya didn't tell you anything," Shinobu said. "Really weird… I mean, she spent four damn years with your trio, and she told you about her bullying problems!"

"Bullying problems?" Marie asked.

"Ah, shit… That was supposed to be a secret… I won't tell anything else, but you now have a lead what to ask her if you want to get that info…"

"Aya was bullied?" Marie didn't want to drop the topic.

Shinobu looked at Angela, who sighed and said, "The cat's out of the bag, but we didn't do it in the first place, so no orders were broken… Shinobu, please continue, there's no sense in keeping it under the carpet anymore."

"Okay then… From what we inquired from Aya's parents and Aya herself, she wasn't always so taciturn and shy. She was a really, really nice girl, social, clever, always energetic. But her cleverness was the nail to her coffin so to speak. Because of her abnormally high intelligence, 190 IQ might I remind, she was light years ahead of everyone at school, but she attended to a normal primary school. She always aced her tests, bah, she even corrected the teachers sometimes."

"But what does that have to do with her being a shut in?" Giulietta asked.

"Patience, boob devil. You see, children are the ultimate sadists. They will pick on others and hurt them, not knowing that it is wrong, just because of petty envy-slash-jealousy. So gradually, a bunch of girls started picking on Aya. You know the usual bullshit kids come up. But one day, they went just a tad too far. They wanted to _teach_ her _humility_ by sticking her head into a toilet. However, they kind of overestimated Aya's lung capacity, and she started to drown, unbeknownst to her oppressors. That's when _it_ happened."

"It?" Katie asked.

"Kuro, her familiar, was already residing within her since half a year. At the moment her life was in danger, her emotions surged to him, and he literally threw everyone around her like dolls. One girl had both legs broken. One had five cracked ribs, one sprung ankle, a broken arm, and she lost two teeth. But one of them… The one that held Aya's head in the toilet… She was pushed back with such a force, that her spine snapped in half… She died on spot…"

Most of the girls gasped, some covered their mouths, Marie even started tearing up.

"Aya had to change towns afterwards, but she hasn't regained her previous state of mind. She became a shut in, mentally stigmatized by the death of somebody who was once her friend…" Shinobu said and sighed deeply. "Come on, everyone. Let's go back to our beds, or wherever you want. Just don't tell Aya anything."

The girls nodded. However, when they were exiting, Angela pulled the sleeve of Shinobu's sweater.

"What is it?"

"Can I talk with you on the side?"

"Yeah, sure."

They moved a bit down the corridor, and Angela asked, "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"So you don't know… Snap… Okay, I'll tell you, but don't repeat it to nobody, even your overly grown friend, okay?"

"My lips are sealed."

"I hope that they're sealed better than before, but whatever…" Angela said and started whispering to Shinobu's left ear.

After a few minutes, Shinobu only asked, "Is that true?"

"Yes. Top psychologists and psychiatrists confirm it."

"Dear gods… How can Aya even stand up in the morning without wanting to kill herself or everyone around?"

"Because her willpower is even more absurd than her IQ. Now, come on, or the rest will get suspicious."

 **Kola's room outside**

 _"_ _Calm down, Aya… This is just a visit of courtesy… Nothing will happen…"_

 _"_ _Mistress, your stress and progesterone levels are increased, do you intend to reproduce?"_

 _"Gaaaaaaaah, Kuro! Idiot! Dunce! Moron!_ _Peeeeeeeerrrrrv!"_

Aya took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Kola's voice said from inside.

Aya pushed the door handle down and slowly pulled the door towards herself. She entered Kola's room and after a quick glance around, she saw him half-naked on the bed. Aya just stood in place frozen.

"Hmm? What brings you here, devushka?"

Aya was still frozen still.

"Heeeelloooo?" Kola said and snapped his fingers.

Aya's eyes moved, but her body still didn't cooperate quite well.

"Hmmm… Okay, I'll pull on my t-shirt," Kola said and so he did.

Just as his naked torso was covered, Aya said, "I… I…"

"Come closer, I can't hear you."

Aya took one step, but to her surprise, she slipped on something and fell straight on Kola.

 _"_ _W-W-W-What is this sensation? It's so warm… What..."_

She opened her eyes, only to see Kola's own peepers looking at her from point blank range.

"Wwwwwaaaaaaaaghhh!" she jumped back. "W-W-W-Wh…"

"I guess you stole my first kiss…" Kola said with a smile.

"W-W-We…"

"We kissed. To recap, you slipped on a speck of oil I spilt earlier, landed straight on me and somehow our lips connected. Now you're sitting in the far side of my bed."

"Oh Mein Gott… It really happened…" Aya gasped with her face covered.

Kola looked at her suspiciously and moved towards her across the bed.

"N-N-No please… I-I'm not ready y-yet… I…" Aya whimpered and closed her eyes.

She felt as his hand moved a strand of her hair from the front of her face.

"Open your eyes please."

Aya reluctantly opened her eyes, seeing that Kola is staring at her.

"W-What?"

"Funny… I thought both of your eyes were black, but now your right one is brown."

"P-Please don't move!" Aya shouted all of a sudden.

"Okaaaaaay…"

Aya moved her trembling left hand and she picked of something off Kola's face.

"Colored contact lenses? Why?"

"My other eye is blue…"

"Ah, I heard of this. It's called… heterochromia or something like that."

"Yes… C-Could you p-please move… I'm a b-bit uncomfortable…"

 _"_ _Now's the chance."_

"Uncomfortable with me as a person or as a man?"

Aya looked deep into Kola's blue eyes and said, "I-If I said I w-was comfortable with you… Then…"

"Then I would say I'm also comfortable with you."

Aya's eyes widened and she said, "P-Please say my name."

"Aya," Kola said with a soft voice.

"Ooooooh… Unfair…" Aya whimpered.

"This conversation is really weird, Aya."

"Y-You stole my f-first kiss… I s-should shout…" she whined.

"But you didn't."

"Unfair… Take responsibility…"

"You know what… I think we both know what is going on here… Give me a sign at breakfast tomorrow, okay? We'll both have the occasion to sleep with our problems and concerns."

Aya nodded.

"Now the most important part – did you have anything else to tell me, besides… Hmm… Somewhat confessing me?"

"I-I-I-I d-d-didn't c-c-confess t-to y-you yet!" Aya shouted with a red face.

"Hahaha! No, you didn't. So?"

"Ah! B-Bath's free… I-I should start moving or somebody will knock the door down…"

"Then go, I don't want to repair it after all, heh…"

Aya smiled and stood up from the bed.

"Say, Aya?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Can that accident we had right now repeat itself?" Kola asked with a wry smile.

Aya chuckled and said, "Maybe…" with a flirtatious tone and she went out of his room.

 _"_ _Did I just get accepted by Aya? Shit… Who would've thought… But I can't get my hopes up yet."_

Aya slumped down on the floor just behind the door and started sweating heavily.

 _"_ _What… Did… Just… Happen… Did he? Did I? Oh my God… I'm so scared… What if I can't do it? What if HE will say no after all? Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh… I should get going…"_

Aya walked down the corridor and entered the bedroom. Immediately, all eyes wandered towards her.

"W-W-What is it?" she asked scared.

"You took almost four minutes only to say something along the lines of "You can go bathing"? Isn't that a bit suspicious?" Elwyn asked.

Aya's face looked as if somebody added fuel to a fire.

"Woah, what happened?!" Elwyn shouted. "Tell us!"

"NO!" Aya yelled.

Everyone went silent instantaneously.

"Oh… S-Sorry… I'll tell it later… Tomorrow…"

"Sure, sure…" Elwyn said. "We're not pressing you to do it… Kind of… Sort of..."

"Say, you're so eager to know how Aya's love life unfolds, but you didn't say a damn thing about yours," Shinobu said. "How is that fair?"

"Pfff…" Elwyn snorted. "I can bet a hundred dollars that of all of us here, I'm the only one that had sex with a man," she exclaimed proudly.

Once again, silence befell the whole room and all the girls looked really preoccupied with judging the interior decoration of the room.

"Hah, I knew it! I fucking knew it!"

"I don't know if that's something you should be really proud of," Sieglinde said. "You gave away your body. Did he love you? Are you still together? I guess not."

Elwyn frowned, and lied down with her face buried in a pillow.

"Okay Sigi, enough is enough," Aya said. "That's probably some dark history for Elwyn."

"Sure… But if she's boasting on like that, she should be able to take some verbal jabs in return. Just saying."

Aya moved onto her bunk, and she pulled out a small sachet. She took out two bottles out of it, and contents of the smaller one dripped into her right eye.

"Oh, wuzzat?" Giulietta asked from her upper bunk. "Contact lenses?"

"Mhm…"

"Heey… Is your right eye brown and your left black?"

"My left one is actually blue…"

"Oh? So you have two different eye colors? How unique! But why do you hide it?"

"Ummm…"

"You'll get to know at supper," Shinobu said. "Right, Aya?"

"Mhhmm…"

"Well, that's not far away from now, heehee!"

"How did you loose it?" Elsa asked.

However, Aya's only reaction was a red face.

"Geez, Aya, you're sure blushing awfully frequently today… Ah, whatever, I won't dwell on it, since you told us that you'll spill the beans," Elsa said with a big smile and disappeared.

Aya squirted the contents of the second bottle on the lens and she placed it on her eye. After a quick examination in a pocket mirror, she laid down on her back.

"Hey, can I fire up the radio?" Nami asked. "It's a bit too quiet here."

"I see nothing against it," Sieglinde said.

"Me neither," Shinobu concurred.

"Okay then!" Nami cheered and ran up to the radio. "Time to liven up the atmosphere!"

Thus, they all spent their time listening to random music. With the exception of Elwyn and Elizabeth, who were dragged out of the room by Katie for KP duty.

 **Dining hall**

"Maybe I should extend your punishment, what do you say you two?" Ellie asked with a satisfied look.

"Whyyyyyy?!" both Elizabeth and Elwyn protested in sync.

"Because the meals are super good when you are helping, heheh…"

"Well, that joke fell short…" Elwyn mumbled. "We're only helpers, Katie is the cook."

"But Katie's cooking skills are mood-dependent, and I deduced that you two brought her into such a good mood."

"Never felt better!" Katie grinned.

"Well, I can help Katie all the time…" Elizabeth shrugged. "If it pleases her so much."

"Please do!" Katie cheered.

"If you put it that way, I'll help too. But only if I'm dead bored!" Elwyn added.

"Much appreciated!"

"So, Aya…" Sieglinde looked at her friend. "I guess it's story time now?"

"Uhum," Aya nodded. "B-But…"

"Hey, Aya, why don't Nami and I tell it from our perspective? Not to offend you, but with your shyness, this would take too long."

Aya nodded quickly and said, "Okay!"

"So, it began…"

 **February 1978**

 **Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Berlin**

A cab stopped on the sidewalk.

"How much do we pay?" a bob cut girl asked.

"Nothing, my dear lady. The fare has been paid beforehand."

"Oh, nice! I wonder who did it…"

"Don't wonder, let's go. Thank you for the ride mister," a longhaired girl said and opened the door. "Can we get our luggage?"

"Of course dear ladies!" the cab driver said cheerfully and got out of the car.

The two girls waited until the driver pulled out their suitcases and bags out of the trunk of the cab, and when he drove off, they waved after him.

"Come on, Nami, we have to get to the principal's office first."

"Kay, Shino!"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?!"

"Eheheh…"

The two took their luggage and entered the enormous building of the Goethe-Gymnasium.

"Hey… It's so silent here…" Nami said.

"It's probably lesson time right now… Now where could it be…"

Suddenly a door opened, and a dark-haired girl in a school uniform, sporting a single braid hanging down from her head came out into the corridor. She didn't see the two first, but when Shinobu said, "Hey, you," she froze in place.

"Y-Yes?"

"We're looking for the principal's office."

"Err… S-Second floor, room 201."

"Thanks."

Immediately, the girl scooted off in unknown direction.

"Did you see her eyes?!" Nami almost shouted.

"Yes, yes… Left blue, right brown. Come on upstairs."

After scaling the stairs, they found the room 201 almost immediately. Shinobu knocked on the door.

"Bitte sehr," a female voice responded.

"I guess that means we should enter…" Shinobu said and opened the door.

She and Nami entered the room where a single woman worked at a typewriter.

"Oh, and who might you be?" the woman asked.

"We're the two from the student exchange program. We're sup…"

"Ah, yes! Please, Herr Zicke is free right now," the woman pointed at a door to their left.

"Thank you," Shinobu said. "We can leave our luggage here for now, right?"

"Yes, please."

Shinobu knocked on the door and received, "Herein" as an answer, so she and her comrade entered.

"Oh, you must be the exchange students! Please, come, sit!"

The two took a seat in the big chairs before the desk of the principal.

"My name is Eberhard Zicke, and I'm the principal here. How was your extended vacation?"

"Well, it was something… exceptional. So much free time just to synchronize semesters…"

"I hope you studied, because we have a very high level here."

"We didn't turn our thumbs idly, at least I didn't."

"Well, me neither!" Nami puffed her cheeks.

"I see the two of you are energetic, good! Now, some technical issues to solve. You have a roommate. All the rooms house three people, and it so coincided that the two you replaced were in one room. She's a good girl, an honor student, but a bit on the shy side. Take good care of her."

"We will see," Shinobu said.

"Next thing – your student ID's will be ready tomorrow. After you drop off your luggage…"

The principles utterance was interrupted by the school bell. He waited the five seconds, and continued, "…you should ask your roommate where to go to get a uniform. That should be it I believe… The girl's dorm is on the last floor and to the left. You room is room 404. I wish you a nice stay here!"

"Thank you sir," Shinobu said.

Nami and Shinobu both exited the principal's office, and the woman asked, "Anything you need to know?"

"We'll manage somehow for now," Shinobu said. "But we know where to ask just in case."

"Have at it you two. And first of all – behave!"

The two took their luggage and exited the room. The halls were now full of both boys and girls roughly their age.

"Woooow… So many kids…" Nami gasped. "So many potential friends…"

"Come on you airhead, we have to settle down first."

"Yeah, yeah…" Nami sighed and they started climbing the stairs to the fourth floor.

All the way up to room 404, they caught attention from both the kids and the teachers. Shinobu knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a response.

"Waaah!" they heard and Shinobu saw that something hid under the quilt of one of the beds

"Knock knock!" Nami cheered. "Anyone here?"

The quilt moved and a familiar face snooped out.

"You!" all three of them shouted in accord.

"W-What are you doing here?" the girl asked.

"It seems we're your new roommates," Shinobu said.

"Roommates…"

The girl's eyes sparkled and she jumped off her bed and grabbed a hand from both Shinobu and Nami.

"Fusojins! O Mein Gott! I love Fuso so much! Watashi wa hontōni Fuso ga daisukidesu! Was that good?!"

"Yes, surprisingly good," Shinobu said with a smile. "Where did you learn Fusogo?"

"My grandparents and my Mom taught me!" the girl said proudly. "My grandparents were born and raised in Fuso, however, Gramps is only half-Fusojin."

"Really now… Ah, where are my manners! We didn't introduce ourselves."

"Nami Ranmaru!" Nami cheered.

"Ugh, you airhead…" Shinobu sighed. "I'm Shinobu Sakamoto, pleased to meet you."

"Sakamoto? Of THE Sakamoto?!"

Shinobu nodded proudly.

"Wooow… The granddaughter of Mio Sakamoto…"

"And what's your name, Fuso enthusiast?"

"Ah, pardon. Aya von Edelweiss; also pleased to meet you!"

"Woah, Edelweiss?!" Nami suddenly grabbed both Aya's hands. "And your grandparents…" Nami's eyes widened to the brim and she hugged Aya in a bear hold and yelled, "Cousin!"

"Wah, what?!" Aya said while trying to liberate herself from Nami.

"Yeah, what are you babbling on about, Nami?"

"Don't you understand? This is the granddaughter of Toshiro Edelweiss! Our families have a common ancestor!"

"Ah, yeah… I heard something about it…"

"R-Really? You're my cousin?" Aya asked.

Nami nodded fiercely to confirm it.

"Yaaaaaaay!" Aya cheered and hugged Nami back.

"Well I'll be damned… Three granddaughters of SNW veterans in one room…" Shinobu said in wonder. "Not bad… Not bad at all…"

"So you two are here for this semester in exchange for Inge and Berenike? Wow! Wow! We'll spend over four months together!" Aya cheered on.

"And the principal said you're a shy girl… Sheesh…"

"Oh… Uh… Well… Usually I am… But… I guess I'm so happy that I can't contain myself… Heh…"

"Those are some peculiar eyes you have their, Aya," Nami said.

"Ah, this is called heterochromia. I guess I got one eye from dad and one from grandma, heh…"

"The principal told us to ask you where we can get uniforms. Care to help?" Shinobu asked with a smile.

"Sure! Leave your stuff and let's go!"

 **Present day**

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Dining Hall**

"And that was how we three met," Shinobu said. "During the course of school, we changed Aya a bit. We encouraged her socially, so she made some friends beside us. Her current hairstyle and her contacts were Nami's idea. One time, we had a break for Easter. Aya's grandparents invited us over to their mansion. Gods, what a charmer that Toshiro… If only I was older and he wasn't married… I would make him take responsibility…" Shinobu started breathing heavily with foggy eyes.

"Errr, Shino, you're detouring…" Aya interrupted.

"Oh, pardon… Well anywho, I learned some nice stuff from him. And even then, Aya smacked the sh…" Shinobu looked at Ellie briefly. "…living daylight out of me with a simple wooden sword. For which she was sorry. Very sorry… She knew her foot rubs already back then, heheheh… But sadly, once we graduated, it was curtains for our contact. During the time in military academy, we were forbidden to contact other people than our closest family, so we sort of drifted apart… But now we're together, once again under one roof and in one bedroom…" Shinobu smiled warmly.

"Aya, why didn't you tell us?" Angela asked.

"It's because… It's because I didn't want my friendship with them impact on my contacts with you… I wanted to separate those two entities… I kind of wanted to start of a clean slate… Which I did, since I didn't know anyone…"

"But you still almost popped from joy when I told you who I am in-depth, right?" Sieglinde asked.

"Heh… Yes… But that's a story for another time I guess?"

"Yeah, no time for that," Ellie said, "Go to beds my dear ladies, another day awaits tomorrow."

"Roger!" the girls cheered and who could, ran away.

"And the cleanup team has to work their asses off…" Elwyn sighed.

"Hey, at least you have something constructive to do." Ellie said.

"Indeed…"

 **2200 MSK**

 **Bedroom**

Sieglinde assessed her surroundings, and she stealthily dropped down from her bunk onto the floor. She quickly moved to the double bed occupied by the Fusojins, but just as she wanted to lift herself up to the top bunk, she heard the characteristic sound of a katana being unsheathed.

"I don't know what you want to do, but you have to go through me first," Shinobu whispered. "Lie down beside me, now," she wiggled a bit to the side to make space. "Now."

Sieglinde lied down beside Shinobu and asked, "What is this all about?"

"I have done some thinking, and I came to understand a few things. First, I would like to thank you for taking care of Aya during these years. You have my utmost gratitude, especially for caring about her in the hardest of times. Secondly, I would want to ask you something… Since we're both concerned about Aya, why don't we just bury the hatchet before it's uncovered further?"

"You mean… As in becoming friends?"

"Hmm… I wanted to say, "Form a verbal pact of nonaggression," but if you want to be my friend… Well…"

"I guess I can…" Sieglinde said shyly.

"Ho… So you can behave a bit more girly. Why do you actually behave like an ice cold bitch sometimes?"

"Dunno, it's just who I am I guess…"

"Whatever now. Thirdly, I want to discuss something. I saw you were frowning every time Kola was mentioned in context with Aya. Aren't you happy for your friend?"

"It's… It's just that… I love Aya…"

"Woah…"

"No, not like you think. I love her as sister-in-arms, sometimes like a mother loves her child... And sometimes I get a bit horny and try to do some girl-on-girl action with Aya, but she quickly drags me from my cloud…"

"Girl-on-girl action? You're a lesbian or something?"

"No, I feel like I'm more bisexual…"

"More like a butch lesbian… Remind me not to turn around to you under the shower," Shinobu chuckled.

"Oh stuff it…" Sieglinde gave a light elbow to Shinobu's ribs. "Anything else?"

"Nothing I guess. But if you try something weird with Nami, those goldilocks of yours will fall on the floor, understood?"

"Yeah, sure…"

"Okay, off you go… My new friend."

"Ugh…"

Sieglinde scaled on to the top bunk, and straddled on Nami, placing her own hand on her lips at the same time. Nami opened her eyes and mumbled something. Sieglinde put her finger to her lips and uncovered Nami's mouth.

"What's going on? Why are you here?"

"I… I… Um…"

"Come on, I don't bite."

"I wanted to thank you?"

"Oh? For what?"

"That massage of yours… It sure relieved some pressure off me…"

"And you do it now… Bawwww… Wait until morning…" Nami said with a sleepy voice.

"It's because… I want another one…"

"Oh? Another one? Well… I guess I could… But muffle yourself with the pillow. And relax."

"Sure, sure."

Nami stood up and let Sieglinde lie down, face down. She straddled on her back and began her massage. It took her only a minute, and Sieglinde started groaning and moaning from pleasure.

 _"_ _My… She's so responsive now… And so submissive… Okay, Nami, time to take a shot at it!"_

Nami lowered herself down Sieglinde's ear and whispered, "And what if we go further?"

Before she could react, Sieglinde was already turned onto her back.

"W-What do you mean?"

"You know… I never told anyone, but I'm… also attracted to girls…"

Sieglinde's eyes became as big as saucers hearing that.

"And you mean it? Y-You'd do it with me?"

"It would be my first time ever."

Sieglinde took the initiative and shot up with her lips towards Nami. **  
**

* * *

Immensely tired, Sieglinde barely walked to her bed, but she had absolutely no energy to climb up to her bunk.

"Sieglinde, you horny perv…" Angela muttered.

"W-Wh…"

"Come on, sleep with me. But only today," Angela said. "So you made friends today…"

"Yeah…"

"How nice of you. Come on, or you'll get sick from standing on the cold floor."

"Thanks…" Sieglinde mumbled and slid under the blanket with Angela.

Angela embraced her friend and said, "So this is how Aya feels when sleeping with you… I must say, it's quite pleasant…"

"I hope you're not a closet lesbian…?"

"Heh, no… I guess I'm straight all over. Good night, Sieglinde."

"Night, Angela…" Sieglinde mumbled and wrapped herself around her friend.

 _"_ _I say… Sieglinde, you're trying too hard…"_

* * *

 **Wondering what happened between Sieglinde and Nami? I can PM you the file, heheh…**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	17. Chapter 17 - Like a headless chicken

Chapter 17 – Like a headless chicken

* * *

 **Lebyazhye Airbase**

 **Bedroom**

 **19** **th** **January 1983**

Aya slowly opened her eyes. It was still dark as she predicted, since it was the middle of winter. She looked at the underside of the matrass on which Elsa was sleeping.

 _"_ _So it's today… Today I have to make a decision, which will probably affect the rest of my life… Hmm… Okay… Let's analyze this calmly… He likes me, there's no doubt about that. And his words about us both knowing what's going on also somewhat confirm this. But is it love already? I can't know this for sure but…"_

"Hey, Aya?" a whisper came from her left.

 _"_ _Oh?"_

Aya turned over and saw Angela looking at her through the relative darkness.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about Kola and me…"

"Ooooh… Any conclusions?"

"You know… I think I'll go for it, heehee… Look forward for breakfast."

"Why's that?"

"He told me to give him a sign at breakfast…"

"Ah. What were you doing so long there, hmmm?"

"Oh… Err…"

"Tell me, and I'll tell you something too."

"Okay… We kissed…"

"W-What?"

"But it was an accident. I slipped and I somehow fell on him…"

"Oh, okay… I thought he was being forceful…"

"No, no… He's actually very gentle, despite his appearance. And… I have a feeling he's a virgin…"

"Really? A guy like him still didn't stick it in anywhere? Wow… How do you know that?"

"He told me I stole his first kiss, heehee…"

"A bit vague but… Whatever, guess what happened after you fell asleep."

"Dunno… I slept really hard… Hey, is that…"

"Yes, it's Sieglinde at my side. Get this – she had a talk with your Fusojin friends."

"Oh? I hope she didn't do anything to them…"

"Nothing harmful at least… So I guess she's friends with both of them now, especially with the bigger one…"

"With Nami? Why?"

"Judging from the muffled moans I heard and the movement under the blanket…"

"What? What?! Sigi… And Nami… What?"

"I guess your old friend acquired a new fancy during the years she was separated from you… Sieglinde was swaying as if there was a storm in the room after she finished…"

"My… Well, maybe she won't look after my boobs now, heehee…"

"Heh, maybe."

"Feels nice to sleep with her, huh?"

"I have to admit that it's true. Sieglinde, despite her bodily fortitude, has something nice and fluffy in her…"

"Heehee…"

"Okay, catch some shuteye, Aya, it's still two hours too early…"

"I don't know if I can get asleep again…"

"Come on then."

"Huh?"

"Come to us, we'll manage somehow."

"Three girls in one bed… What is this, the gymnasium again?"

"Heh…"

Aya quickly moved over to the bed occupied by Angela and Sieglinde, and she wedged herself between the two.

"Burrrrr…. Hrrrmm…" Sieglinde mumbled and moved her hand around, grabbing Aya's left breast. "Uhhh… Aya?"

Sieglinde immediately clung onto Aya and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I know what you're doing here…"

"She told you already? Shit… Well anywho, what, we three are sleeping in one bed now?"

"Yes," both Angela and Aya responded.

Angela also grabbed hold of Aya, and the latter managed to embrace both of them at the same time.

"Elsa would be so jealous…" Aya said.

"No more pondering, sleep time," Angela said firmly.

"Kay…" Aya yawned and relaxed.

 **An hour later**

 **Commander's bedroom**

"Hey, Ellie, you're sleeping?" Katie asked in the darkness.

"Not now I ain't…" Ellie mumbled back.

"Oh, sorry…"

"Nah, I'm joking. I was awake since half an hour already… Some matters don't let me rest…"

"Like what?"

"For example whether I should allow Kola and Aya to have a relationship, if it comes so far."

"Hey! Don't me such a meanie! I mean look at Aya, she really needs somebody she could lean onto!"

"Indeed, you're right… But you know about the potential consequences, right?"

"Nobody has to know about it. And if shit hits the fan, I know you will weasel us out of it."

"You know I hate lying, as much as swearing," Ellie said sternly.

"Those red booklets in your safe say something else…"

"That is not a lie, Katie, just something untold."

"See? It will work out somehow…"

"Maybe… Another thing that was keeping me awake was Kola's birthday. What will we do?"

"Ah, so you want to throw a party?"

"If there would be a remote possibility of doing one, then why not?"

"Hah, cool! But what about presents?"

"We'll just give him something each man should accept – booze and a tie."

"Hahahaha! True! I guess he'll receive another gift from Aya, heheh…"

"You think that…?"

"There's a possibility. You know, the kids these days…"

"I'll talk to her about that. If not today, then tomorrow."

"Just don't stomp on her dreams to hard."

"Who do you think I am? The Snow Queen?"

"Well, you are the White Death… Heh…"

"Oh shush…" Ellie sighed. "Look at the stuff we have, hopefully we can bake a cake…"

" _We_ she says…" Katie mumbled.

"Okay, okay: you. And your little gremlins."

"Heheheh… I really like the two helping me."

"Oh you lazy, lazy Katie…"

"Pot meet kettle, you're just sitting in your damn office the whole day!"

"Hey, hey! I'm supervising the whole unit from that office!"

"Hahaha! Oh… I always love to piss you off, hahaha!"

"And I always fall for it…" Ellie sighed. "Just like old times, huh?"

"Almost… Almost…" Katie sighed even deeper than Ellie.

 **Same time**

 **Kola's room**

Kola was tossing and tumbling in his bed, only sleeping an hour during the whole night.

 _"_ _I really don't know what to do with Aya… She's a really sweet girl, and she needs some calm waters to cast her anchor but… I doubt I can give her that… I am who I am, and nobody can know it… But, what if… What if she could pull some strings… Her grandfather is pretty famous, and he still probably has some ties… Hmmm… This could work… Maybe I could finally settle down? Yeah, I have to try!"_

 **Bedroom**

"Hey, sleepyhead, wake up," Shinobu's started poking Elwyn, while Nami was doing the same to Elizabeth.

"Whazzz…" Elwyn mumbled, still pretty much asleep.

"You have KP duty you nincompoop. Out of your bed and off you go."

"Gimme five… Or ten… And why are you waking me…"

"I give you two, and I'm waking you because our morals committee seems to be asleep right now."

"Okay… Okay…"

Nami had a slightly easier job.

"Hmm?" Elizabeth murmured after opening her eyes.

"Sorry to wake you up, but you know, you have KP duty and stuff…"

"Oh, no problem. Thank you for the wake up."

"Heh, be sure to use me more often."

"That sounded so damn awkward…"

"Errr… Well… Heh…" Nami blushed and scooted off to her bunk.

Shinobu joined her just a few seconds later, oddly enough sitting on the same bunk.

"Hmmmm? What's up, Shino?"

"I tol… Oh whatever…" Shinobu sighed and leaned over towards her friend. "I didn't know you veered off that way…" she whispered.

"Uuuuuuumm… So you heard…" Nami muttered with slightly red cheeks.

"You can muffle your orgasmic moans as much as you can, but the springs and bed frame sure gave off some noise…"

"Are you mad at me?" Nami asked with a sorrowful face.

"No, how could I… Your body is yours alone, and I guess you had fun with Sieglinde. But for the love of all gods on this planet, don't impose on me, okay? I'm still not ready for intimate contact yet…"

"Don't want a _massage,_ Shino?" Nami smiled wryly.

"Urrrrghh… A normal massage, okay, but not _that_ massage. And not now."

"Yes, yes… I somehow thought you would rip my head off…"

"Ha, no… As long as you're such a good person as you were, and such a fine witch, you might as well even do Aya for all I care."

"Now that's a no-no, you know? Unless she wants… But I doubt she'll want since… Heheheheh… Maybe something will spark between her and Kola."

"Would be nice… But if that Kola turns out to be a bad apple…"

"…well mangle the sonofabitch."

Both said with low voices and knuckles-a-cracking.

"By the way, look at those three. They look like high school girls sleeping in a dorm," Shinobu pointed out the three out of four Karlslanders lying on one bed.

"Heehee, yeah… Remember us in the Edelweiss residence?"

"Why bother with three futons when we can sleep on one, right? Ha! Good, innocent days…"

"Yes…" Nami sighed. "Hey, can I take a nap, now that we woke up the two?"

"Sure, I'll get a few minutes of sleep too. And… Nami?"

"Yes?"

"When did you start… taking visits?" Shinobu asked embarrassed.

"About a year ago," Nami replied straightforward. "We had a few odd apples in our unit, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember that some of them were rather fond of skinship… Ah, whatever now, I won't dwell on this further, Nami. It's your life."

"Thanks for understanding…" Nami said with a smile.

 **Few minutes later**

 **Corridor**

Elwyn was walking hand in hand with Elizabeth, with the former exhibiting the mobility and willpower of a zombie.

"Sleeeeeeeeeep…" Elwyn moaned.

"Come on, Elwyn, it's not that bad," Elizabeth tried to cheer her up. "It's only half an hour earlier for one more day for you."

"But that half an hour is crucial…" Elwyn mumbled. "I get my best sleep then…"

"As I said, only one more day. You'll manage. You carry such big tits, so getting up earlier should be childplay!"

"Heheh… Well, you also have nice knockers to begin with…"

"Ah, why thank you," Elizabeth smiled. "Do you drink coffee?"

"Yeeaaaah… But I only drink it with a crapload of sugar and cream."

"Why not black? I only drink black."

"Why black? Eeeeeeh…"

"You know what they say… Once you go black…"

Both chuckled and entered the dining hall.

"Ah, my favorite kitchen aids!" Katie cheered from one of the tables. "Come on, have some coffee, and let's go!"

"Hi Katie," both said at the same time and sat beside each other.

Katie's mug was already half empty, but the other ones were almost full. While Elizabeth took a sip just after she grabbed the mug, Elwyn slowly but surely added sugar.

"Three… Four…" she counted, but when she was about to take the fifth one, she cut herself with the edge of the tin in which the sugar was stored. "Ouch! Damn…"

A blood droplet popped out from the cut, and Katie and Elwyn heard a thud beside them.

"Woah, woah, Lily, what happened!" Katie kneeled beside her unconscious cousin.

"Urrrr… When I came into the bath bleeding from my forehead, she also fainted…" Elwyn said and stuck her finger in her mouth.

"Hmm? Weird… Say, look after her, I'll go take the first aid kit from the kitchen."

"Sure."

"Just don't show her that bloody finger!"

"Mhhhmmm…"

Katie ran off into the kitchen, and Elwyn kneeled beside Elizabeth, and put her left hand under the unconscious Britannians head, lifting it up slightly. Katie returned with a red box with a white cross on it very quickly.

"Now let's tend to that wound of yours…" she said while opening the box. "Let's see… First, hydrogen peroxide."

"Oh damn…"

"Bite your lower lip and let's get it over with."

Katie unscrewed the cap on the small plastic bottle and squeezed it over Elwyn's cut.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeehhhh!" Elwyn screamed.

"Better that than an infection," Katie said and sealed the bottle again. "Now a band-aid and you're good to go."

Katie wrapped the band-aid around the wounded finger and said, "Should I kiss it?"

"Heh, no thanks," Elwyn chuckled along with Katie.

"Hmmm… What…" Elizabeth started coming to herself slowly and looked around. "Did you get hurt, Elwyn?"

"Yeah, I cut my finger on the sugar tin."

"I got hemophobia…" Elizabeth said with a faint voice.

"Wuzzat?" Katie asked.

"Fear of blood."

"Damn… I don't remember you having that…"

"Me neither. Maybe it got developed after the accident…"

"Come on, get up," Elwyn said and hoisted up her friend so she could take a seat. "There ya go!"

"Thank you."

"I guess you can't get that finger dirty now…" Katie mumbled. "How are you doing with your left hand only?"

"Not bad."

"Good."

Elwyn took a pitcher with cream, and topped up her mug with it.

"Now you're even adding cream!? Damn, girl, you want your ass to match those tits?!" Katie shouted.

"Ha… Ha… I like my coffee just like that. Not very tolerant of you…"

"Pff, tolerant… Sure, I am tolerant, but in my country that's a rather rare trait."

"Oh?" Elizabeth asked.

"I see you're interested. Well, let's see… Ah, Muslims for example! Many people still think of Muslims as of the old Saracens. And Saracens were mostly negroes. And trust me, in the People's Republic of Lehistan, if you see a negro, that's as seeing a damn unicorn. And you'll probably hear such juicy words as _smoluch, dziki_ or the all-time favorite – _czarnuch_."

"What do those words mean?" Elwyn asked and sipped her coffee.

"Well, the first one best translates into tar-face, the second one to savage, and the third one is of the highest caliber – nigger."

The two made uneasy grimaces.

"By your reaction I can judge you're nice girls," Katie said with a warm smile on her face. "If there's some higher force that created us, it created us as equals. Whites, blacks, yellows, reds – whatever goes, all are human beings in my eyes. But hey, people fear the unknown naturally, not much to blame that. But if more non-whites immigrated, the citizens would probably start being uneasy that they're invaded by foreigners…" Katie sighed. "Goddamn bigots."

"Amen," Elwyn said and finally finished her coffee. "Wow, nice Joe."

"So, does anyone else know about your condition?" Katie asked Elizabeth.

"Everyone except the commander right now."

"Seriously? How did that happen?"

"It happened," Elizabeth shrugged.

"Meh, whatever. At least everyone knows about it. Or will know. Come on my dear kitchen hands, times a wasting!"

 **Bedroom**

Aya woke up to the poking sensation she felt on her cheeks. She opened her eyes, and although her view was a bit hazy, she recognized Shinobu and Nami looking at her from the sides of the bed.

"Hi you two…" Aya yawned.

"Morning, you lovebirds, heehee…" Nami chuckled.

Aya looked around and saw that Angela and Sieglinde were still on her sides, fully awake and with a tad of uneasiness on their faces.

"Heehee, this reminds me of the old days…" Aya giggled and continued. "Sigi, Angela, you don't have to look so weird."

"It is a bit kinky for three seventeen year old girls to sleep in one bed, all cuddly and shit…" Sieglinde mumbled.

"Well, we weren't concerned about such issues a few years ago, right, Shino?"

"Damn straight! The Fuso-Karlsland Triumvirate held together at all times!" Shinobu said proudly while pounding her chest with her fist once, but she grinned and added, "Sieglinde, maybe you're just uneasy because… Last night?"

Both Nami's and Sieglinde's face paled at a drop of a hat.

"Y-Y-Y-You know?!" Sieglinde asked horrified.

"For fucks sake…" Shinobu sighed. "Literally. I mean…" she lowered her voice to a whisper. "You were both pleasing each other like there was no damn tomorrow! Have some decency! And pride! You might as well go to the Romagnan and get yourself molested officially before everyone! Both of you!"

"Sorry…" Nami and Sieglinde mumbled.

"Hey, why am I even apologizing to you?!" Sieglinde almost shouted aloud.

"She is your friend, heh…" Angela laughed dryly.

"Oh, well, whatever… My body is my own, and I will hand it out to whomever I deem worthy."

"So I was worthy?" Nami asked.

"Kind of… Kind of much even…" Sieglinde blushed fiercely.

"Mein Gott… You blushing is a rare sight even for me, haha!" Aya laughed.

"Really?" Nami tilted her head.

"Yes. This is the true Sieglinde – a normal girl, seventeen years old, double D cup, a bit on the sensitive side. She'll only show this side to her closest friends, but given the fact that she usually is gruff, the only close friends she has is us three. Or was, right?" she looked at Sieglinde.

"Y-Yeah… I guess you two are also my friends right now so… I think I can drop the high-and-mighty attitude towards ya…"

"Ah, hell no!" Shinobu protested. "I like you when you have some balls, an attitude befitting this top-notch trained body of yours! If you start behaving all mushy, I'll smack you!"

"Hey, only Aya can smack me!" Sieglinde rebuked.

"Much better, hahaha!" Shinobu laughed heartily.

"Uuuuuuugh… What's happening…" Elsa mumbled from her top bunk and turned over to them. "Woah! I want in!" she squealed, jumped off to the ground and threw herself at Aya.

"Ooooof… Elsie, come on… It's still morning…"

"Meh… We're all in one bed now, heehee!"

"We sure are…" Sieglinde mumbled.

"So anywho's, what's with the gathering in the morning?"

"We'll tell you later," Aya said with a stern face.

"Waaaaaaaaaah! What's with the secrets, damn it?!"

"Just too many eyes looking at us, and too many ears hearing us," Aya looked at Giulietta and waved to her.

Giulietta waved back unfazed and resumed her morning preparations.

"Well okay…" Elsa pouted. "So, breakfast when?!"

"When it's served, dumbo," Sieglinde flicked Elsa's forehead. "And excuse me now; I have to get ready for a new day."

"Me too," Angela said.

"Spoilsports…" Elsa mumbled and went off to her bunk.

"Ahem…" Angela cleared her throat and looked at Aya and the Fusojins.

The two understood, but Aya still looked with clueless eyes at Angela.

"Aya, I know it's nice to be in one bed with me, but you know, you should start dressing up yourself…"

"Oh, hehehe, pardon, stupid me."

"Nervous?" Angela whispered.

"S-Sort of… I-I mean… T-This w-will be m-my first…"

"Whatever happens, we're all behind you," Angela embraced Aya with her right hand. "Now shoo, you don't want to confess to Kola in those threads?"

"No way!"

"Ha…"

 **Fifteen minutes later**

 **Dining room**

"So, placing bets on what will happen now?" Ellie, leaning over the kitchen counter asked.

"Oh you mischievous… Ten rubles that Kola will confess to Aya," Katie said.

"I'm dropping twenty that it will be the other way around," Ellie said with a mischievous look. "How about you two?"

"We don't have squat for money right now, ma'am…" Elwyn sighed.

"Uhum…" Elizabeth confirmed.

"Right, your pays are due next week… Oh well, you're out of the bet then," Ellie sniffed around with her nose. "My God, is it me, or is Katie's cooking improving around you two? Katie, are you that happy that your cousin is helping you?"

"Does the bear poop in the woods? Of course! And the two are adding their own flair to the meals, so it's no wonder the food is so good."

"Morning…" Kola's voice sounded from the entrance.

"Ah, speak of the devil," Ellie smiled. "Morning, Kola."

"And what are you all talking about there, huh?"

"None of your business, smarty-pants. Wait for your food, it's worth it."

"Yeah, yeah…"

 _"_ _Sigh… I guess that all know already… But I don't exactly blame Aya, oh no! She probably needed to vent something like that, me being the first guy she'll have in her life…"_

The girls soon started moving in, but Aya was nowhere to be seen.

"Somebody's missing…" Kola mumbled.

"Tatiana and Aina are sleeping off their night patrol," Katie said.

"No, I mean…"

Suddenly, out of thin air, Aya appeared behind Kola. She slowly embraced him from behind, and put her head over his left shoulder.

"S-So… A-Are we starting s-something?"

Kola smiled warmly and replied, "If this is what you want, then I'm in, Aya."

He placed his right hand on her left cheek and her right and his left cheeks touched. Aya embraced Kola a bit tighter and started fawning on him like a cat, with a matching face to boot.

"Yay Aya!" Elsa cheered.

"Go girl!" Elwyn added to the mood.

Sieglinde sighed and said, "My precious Aya is changing hands… You take care of her, or I'll wring your very soul out of you, you hear?!"

"Of course…" Kola said with a soft voice while patting Aya on the head. "But what now?"

"What? Never had any women in your life?" Katie asked.

"No," he answered sincerely.

"Damn…"

"I could be of some advice… I guess…" Elwyn interrupted shyly.

"Oh right, you said you've been with a man already!" Aya stopped her fawning abruptly.

"Well, thanks for the summary. Anywho, I see you skipped the handholding and went to hugs. Good."

"Uh, n-n-n-no," Aya stood straight, a meter away from Kola. "T-T-This is j-j-just s-spontaneous!"

"Ah, if you say it so… Then, both of you start with holding hands. While at it, get to know each other. Your interests, weaknesses, strengths, hobbies, fears, hopes, dreams, and expectations should make a foundation on which will serve as the mortar for the bricks of love."

"Deeeeep…" Elsa said surprised.

"I've been there, but I guess you can't overcome some obstacles. Like infidelity…" Elwyn muttered with a sour face. "Dude, seriously, if you cheat on Aya, after the Karlslander wrings out your soul, I'll dry it up and flush it down the toilet."

"It seems there's some hostility towards me…" Kola said with a suspicious face.

"Those are just fair warning," Ellie said as her hand landed on his shoulder. "And another one from me, for the both of you – I'm a tolerant woman, but if you want to try anything funny, do it so nobody sees or hears you. I don't want the girls to be more envious than they're already are."

"W-What do…" Aya said and suddenly her face went ablaze. "Too fast!" she shouted.

"Woah, commander, don't push them too far!" Sieglinde protested.

"Hahaha! I'm just teasing the two, don't worry. But be a realist, Sieglinde. If their relationship blooms, their contact will get more and more intimate."

"I understand…"

"Well anyway, let us eat," Ellie commanded.

 **A bit later**

"Now, my dear ladies, I have an announcement. Yet again, the two of us, meaning Katie and me, are going to Kamyshin. And yet again, I would like to ask you, Aya, to take over command of the unit."

"W-Well… I'll try a-alone today."

"Brilliant! We'll be back in a few hours, so don't drop a nuke on our heads accidentally, okay?"

"Heheh… Yes ma'am!" Aya saluted briskly.

"Your trainings should proceed normally. And… Well, everyone dismissed, and have a nice day. Follow me, Aya."

"Okay!"

Aya silently followed Ellie down the corridor, and once they entered the office, she said, "Close the door."

"Well now…" she exhaled deeply. "Aya, I know this must be something new and exciting for you, but please, don't get your heels over your head."

"Y-You mean, Kola, ma'am?"

"Yes, Aya. I just want you to take it slowly, that's all. I know how it feels to be in love for the first time, but don't rush things. Savor those innocent days of puppy love."

Aya observed Ellie while she was speaking, and she herself said, "M-May I ask…"

"No, not now… But I'll tell you after I return, if you still want to hear boring love stories from your commander," Ellie smiled slightly.

"Oh, heheh… I'll r-remember to ask, ma'am."

"Good girl. Oh, and just don't make my office into some bordello, okay?"

"W-W-W-W…" Aya's face started reddening quickly.

"Kidding, hahaha! Oh you're so innocent, Aya. Invite Kola here, have some chit-chat. What Elwyn told a few minutes ago is really good advice, I would listen to her if I were you."

"Okay!"

Ellie went to her desk, and after pulling out some money from her safe she said, "I'm leaving the unit to you, my dear Aya. Take care of it as if it was your own."

"Verstanden!" Aya saluted quickly, escorted Ellie out with her eyes, and slumped down in her chair after the door closed. "This is madness…"

 **Kola's room**

 _"_ _Gospodin, that girl is sweeter than sugar! And the way she was rubbing against me… Sure got my blood pumping… But now that we're officially an item and, what's ridiculous, nobody is exactly against it, maybe_ I _should take a step forward? I'll wait a few minutes and visit my acting commander in her office, heheh… I should try out that small talk thing the Liberianski talked about... It's true, I know about her as much as the public opinion in Orussia knows…"_

 **Five minutes later**

 **Commanders office**

A knock on the door startled Aya. "C-C-Come in!" she shouted nervously.

The door opened and Angela entered.

"Oh, Angela…"

"Expecting somebody else?" she smiled wryly.

"Y-Y… No!"

"Oh come on, you were expecting Kola, right?"

"Kind of… Sort of… In a way…" Aya replied shyly while toying with her index fingers. "So… Why are you here?"

"Just checking if nothing's _happening_."

"As you see, nothing. Nichts. Null."

"Well, carry on then. We'll start our training in a bit, just telling."

"And I'm anchored here for now, so I'll have to make up for it."

"I know you will."

"Knock knock," Kola's voice was heard from the doorway. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"Ah, the man who wants to abduct our precious Aya. I was going anyway, so have at it. I'll give you some privacy, but I don't guarantee some people won't eavesdrop on you…" Angela smiled mysteriously.

"Does that someone have a braid and a cheese grate instead of a belly?"

"Heh, who knows…?" Angela mused. "Have fun you two lovebirds, but not _too much_ fun," Angela winked and closed the door behind her.

"Is it me, or is everyone around here backing us?" Kola asked Aya.

"W-W-Well… P-P-Probably…"

"There you go stuttering again… Okay, I guess I have to say something like this… You are a witch, Aya. If you fear that you're in danger, shout or just use your magic, and turn me into a bloody pulp."

"No! I wouldn't do anything like that!"

"Ah, see? No stuttering already!"

"Y-Yeah… So… We should… Ummm… Talk… I guess…"

Kola moved on to the armchair in the corner and patted his lap.

"Noooo…"

"Yes."

"B-But… We just…"

"Aya, we already kissed, and that puts us a bit forwards, don't you think?"

 _"_ _My… He's so manly… I'm feeling like I'm going to melt right now…"_

"O-Okay…"

Aya moved from her chair and carefully sat on Kola's lap.

"See? Much better, right?"

"I… I feel weird now…"

"Weird you say? Well, anyway, who's first?"

"First?"

"Will you start telling things about yourself or…"

"Ah, this… Um… I can start…"

"Then please, go ahead."

"Well… I was born September 1st, 1965 in Dortmund. As if through sheer irony, my mother, a surgeon, brought me into this world on her own… But anywaaaay… I was living in Dortmund up until the end of fourth grade and… Then I had to move to Berlin…"

"What happened?"

"Um… Could you please ask Sigi about that? I… I don't want to recall that…." Aya squirmed around nervously.

"Sure, sure, no problem."

"So I lived in Berlin then up until I was transferred to a military school. Then I met the three, and now, I'm here."

"That was vague…"

"Oh… S-Sorry… What do you want to know?"

"Your hobbies? Dreams? Everything the Liberian said."

"Oh, heehee… I like reading books… And Fuso culture… And medicine… And electroniiiics… And one day I want to become a surgeon, just like my Mom!"

"A surgeon? But you have healing magic, from what I know."

"My Mom also has it, but magic fades with age… However, we are from a peculiar lineage, and even my Grandma's magic is still very strong. But you can't rely solely on magic when _fixing_ people… And if not a surgeon, I want to be a scientist or something! Anything to benefit the people!"

"Well, that sure is very idealistic of you," Kola smiled towards her.

"And… What about you?"

"Me? Buuuh… I was born in a village near Kazan. My mother and a stepfather brought me up, since my biological padre died in some accident before my birth… Oh, I said near Kazan? Thirty kilometers proved a bit too much for my school education, which I formally didn't receive. Thankfully my dear mother, may God rest her soul, homeschooled me. For a living, I had to do logging in the nearby village of Pizdishevo since I was thirteen. When I was old enough to do it, I enlisted into the army, even before the paper pushers took notice of me. I wandered up here, and then you all came, and I was the guy left behind, since I lost at drawing lots."

"Oh my… That's rather sad…"

"I'm painfully honest with you, Aya. I don't have much to bring to the table, in economic terms. The hut I was living in is probably now just a pile of logs under a meter thick coat of snow…"

"No, stop. Don't worry, Kola. I'll provide for us. I'll get education, and become a good earning surgeon. And if all else fails, my grandparents can always shower us with money. Please, don't care about such trivialities as money!" Aya said loudly with a fiery sparkle in her eyes.

"Wow… Amazing. We don't even know if we belong to each other, but you already set up our future. Hahaha!"

"Speaking of which… Err… I kinda botched up in the morning…"

"How so? You clearly gave me a transparent sign of your intentions."

"But… I kind of wanted using different words… That felt awkward…"

"Then you can redo it, what's the problem?"

"Really?! Okay then!" Aya cheered, made a few breaths, and said, "Kola, will you be my boyfriend?"

"No," he said with a straight face.

Aya instantly felt as if her world fell apart, and she couldn't speak a single word.

"Because I, as the man, should say it. Aya, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Waaaagh! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Don't scare me like that!" Aya started pummeling Kola's chest in a childish tantrum.

Kola's hand on her head was all it took to calm her down. Out of her own volition, she simply hugged him.

"My, my, I guess you're the cuddly type?"

"Uhum…"

They suddenly heard a thud outside of the room.

"Whose there?" Kola asked annoyed.

Five seconds later, the door slowly opened and Sieglinde came in, looking as if she was heading for the gallows.

"Heehee, Angela told me you could be snooping around, Sigi."

"Sorry… But you know why I'm doing this, right?!"

"Yes, Sigi, I know. But you could give me some privacy… Kola doesn't want to dive into my pants right away. Right, Kola?"

"When you say you're ready, I'll take a dive," Kola said with a smirk.

"See? He'll whaaaaaaaaa?!" Aya jumped off of Kola's lap and hid behind the desk

"I only answered your question, Aya. I won't pursue any sexual intercourse with you unless you give me absolute permission. As a bonus, I might add that I refused a prostitute the guys from the unit _bought_ me for my 19th birthday."

"R-Really?" Aya peeked over the top of the desk.

"Yeah, really?" Sieglinde asked with distrust. "What kind of man are you? Hey, do you have everything working _down there_?"

"Wanna see?"

"No, fuck, God forbid!" Sieglinde shouted while backing up towards the door.

"I-I-I-I'm not r-r-ready yet!" Aya protested from behind the desk.

"Show a little manhood around and you girls just lose your shit," Kola smiled. "Shouldn't you be training or something?" he said while looking at Sieglinde.

"And you don't have any duties to attend to, huh, Bub?"

"It so happens that no, so get of my case already."

"Sheesh… Aya, if anything happens, just scream."

Kola shook his head as Sieglinde was exiting the room. Once the door closed, he leaned over the desk and said, "So, Aya, I'm going to leave you now. I actually have some minor maintenance job to do, but don't worry, I'll be back in two hours tops."

"Sure, sure… I have a job to do here also, so… I'm kind of not going anywhere, heh…"

"Bye now, have a nice… commanding or something."

"Heehee, bye!" Aya cheered and sat on her chair.

Not five minutes have passed, and the phone rang.

"Gwaaah!" Aya almost jumped up. "Oh, it's just the phone…"

"She picked it up and said, "777th IFW."

"Identify yourself," a gruff voice with an eastern accent commanded."

"First Lieutenant Aya von Edelweiss from the Karlslander Bundeswehr," Aya switched into her second mode. "Currently deputy commander."

"Where is the usual commander?"

"Supply run."

"Well then, I have news for you, deputy commander. One SS-3 Neuroi has been spotted flying from the Hive above Warsaw a minute ago. The trajectory estimate will coincide with your assigned region of operations. Do I have to explain what to do?"

"No sir."

The connection got cut, and Aya slammed the receiver on the hook. She turned around, activated the PA system and shouted, "Battle stations! SS-3 Neuroi incoming our direction! Everyone capable of at least Mach 2 is to attend to battle! Assemble in the lobby."

Aya ran out of the room and to the lobby. She didn't wait even a minute when the bunch poured out of the bedroom.

"My girls, Elwyn, Shinobu, Nami, Giulietta and Marie. Not a bad team. I'm going to be absent, so you have to work on your own. One SS-3 is heading our way, so you'll have your hands full, despite it being only one. Speed is crucial, so don't take enormous guns and loads of ammo. Go now!"

"Okay!" the eight witches cheered and ran out of the building.

* * *

 **Nothing to explain, yay!**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	18. Chapter 18 – I've been there

Chapter 18 – I've been there

* * *

 **Bedroom**

"Blaaargh… Another alert in the dead of the morning… Will those Neuroi start using a watch…" Tatiana muttered angrily to herself and looked on the lower bunk. Aina was sleeping soundly, curled up in a fetal position, not caring about the world around her. "Right… I might as well resume my sleep.

"Good night," Elizabeth said from her bunk.

"Oh, you're here. Why aren't you airborne?"

"My poor Harrier can only go 1.98 Ma so… I was excluded naturally so to speak. But even sniping Class One Supersonics is a chore, but when they can go around Mach Two, it's a bitch to pull off."

"Ah, true, so I heard. Well, I'll go back to sleeping."

"As I said, good night. I won't bother you. I'll go see what Aya is doing."

"Speaking of which… Anything happen during breakfast concerning her?"

"Oh, heehee… She somewhat confessed to Kola."

"That's nice. How did our commander react?"

"I think that, between the lines, she gave full approval," Elizabeth smiled. "Okay now, I'm going. Sleep tight."

"Thanks. Hope you find some entertainment."

"Well, you have it better than us. An eight-hour patrol, then eight hours of sleep, meals, and training. You don't have much time to fill, honestly."

"Heh, that's true." Tatiana chuckled slightly and lied flat on her back.

She listened to Elizabeth as she walked over to the door, opened it, walked out, and closed the door.

 _"_ _I suppose I can be a bit lazy now and then… And actually get some sleep… Ah well, good night, myself…"_

 **Corridor**

Elizabeth moved towards the office, but she saw there was light coming from another room. She moved towards the entrance and saw that Aya was sitting on the chair, with headphones on and looking at the radar.

 _"_ _Oh well, I guess she's preoccupied…"_

She was just about to turn around, but then Aya did it herself.

 _"_ _That look in her eyes… This must be_ battle Aya _... I have to be careful now."_

"What is it?" Aya asked with a cold voice.

"I just wanted to see what you're doing."

"I'm monitoring the situation, as you can see. If you want, you can watch too, but don't distract me too much."

"Sure…"

Elizabeth moved closer into the room and looked at the radar. One upward red triangle was moving fast, while eight downward green triangles were moving at an approximately same speed as the red one.

 _"_ _Those must be the girls intercepting the Neuroi… And they're all bloody fast!"_

Elizabeth leaned over Aya to see a bit better, but she lost her footing and fell on Aya's shoulder. Unexpectedly, she was pushed away.

"Get the hell off of me!" Aya shouted furiously, making a face that would scare off a pit-bull.

"Aya?" Elizabeth asked utterly surprised.

"Get the fuck out! If you can't stand still and watch silently, then move out of my sight!"

Elizabeth looked blankly at the boiling Aya, and simply walked out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

 _"_ _What has gotten into her, bloody hell!? It's like she's a totally different person! What if… No… Really? She could be? Absurd, Elizabeth, this is absurd… But she's already a bundle of various oddities so… I have to inquire at her friends, post haste! I won't allow anyone to treat me like that! Even the drill officers in the RAF are less obnoxious! She can be the damn king and queen of Gallia for all I care!"_

 **200 km west of Lebyazhye**

 **3400 ASL**

"Enemy sighted!" Shinobu reported after taking a glance with her Magan. "Dead ahead, flying straight at us!"

"Speed estimated at roughly 2000 kilometers per hour, flying steady," Angela reported. "We have to disrupt it's flight! Everyone, Shooting Squad formation!"

The eight witches formed into one line with their guns raised and aiming at the enemy.

"Fire!" Angela shouted.

All barrels spat fire, and even the best eye couldn't discern all the tracers flying. The Neuroi started to change it's flight path, sharply gaining altitude.

"It worked! Target slowed down to about 1600 km/h!" Angela reported. "Everyone, Delta formation, we're going after it!"

"Roger!" the girls responded and flared up after the enemy.

The enemy dodged their incoming fire, and all their attempts to hit it fell flat. And, what nobody noticed, Marie had some problems with her rifle.

 _"_ _Oh what now? I'm pulling the handle but it won't unjam… Waaaah!"_

"Damn, this thing's agile!" Sieglinde yelled. "We need Aya!"

"Why so?" Elwyn asked.

"Her time dilution magic is of essence here!"

"Time dilution? On it!" Elwyn cheered and she suddenly disappeared.

The Neuroi above them exploded and Elwyn reappeared where she previously was.

"What the fuck?!" Sieglinde asked genuinely stupefied.

"I guess you call this a Final Art…" Elwyn winked. "Courtesy of my Granny and Mom!"

"Ha, good job!" Giulietta patted her on the back. "You're the MVP of this battle I guess!"

"Indeed," Angela said. "And this has reminded me of something…"

"What?" Elsa asked.

"We have to assess who has their Final Arts handy. If we knew from the beginning that Elwyn has hers, we wouldn't bother sending EIGHT people. Am I right, or am I right?"

"You are right," Shinobu said. "But shouldn't our commander do something like that? Or even have something like that already?"

"That's probably been redacted out of our files," Angela said and ruffled her eyebrows. "Hey, Aya?"

"Yes?" she answered indirectly.

"Battle over, we're coming back."

"O-Okay!" Aya cheered a bit hesitantly. "Nobody hurt?"

"Nope, everything's fine here. Be right back!"

"You wanted to ask her, but her other self was active, and now you had second thoughts whether to do it over the radio?" Shinobu asked.

"Precisely. And regarding the list, ever heard of something called a _grassroots initiative_?"

"We're in the army, not in a housing association…" Shinobu sighed. "You of all people should know that the higher ups frown on such monkey business."

"But our commander seems a bit different. So what, do I have your support?"

"Yeah, sure, what do I care?" Shinobu shrugged. "Are we going back already or are we waiting for spring?"

"Ah, yes. We're going back, everyone!"

 **Radar room**

 _"_ _Weee! The girls have won! Another Neuroi defeated! Now only to wait for them, and… Oh my… Oh my… OH MY!"_

Aya ran out of the radar room like a ball of lightning and just before she was about to rip open the door to the bedroom, she calmed down, and opened the door quietly.

 _"_ _She's not here… Where is she…? Where is she…?!"_

She closed the door and ran off to the dining hall, where Elizabeth was swinging on a chair with a pouty face.

"Ah, there you are!" Elizabeth shouted furiously as she stood up.

But before the chair she used fell on the floor, Aya was clinging to her and repeating, "I'm sorry!"

 _"_ _Now she's apologizing as if the world was to end in a few minutes… I have to ask her directly."_

"Now, now, what are you apologizing for now?" Elizabeth asked innocently.

"I… I…" Aya's eyes welled up with tears and she started wailing like a kid.

"There, there…" Elizabeth hugged her and started patting her on the back.

"I… I t-treated y-you b-badly and…"

"Are you sure that was _you_ who treated me badly?"

Aya looked up at Elizabeth's face and asked, "W-What are y-you talking about?"

"Aya, forgive me if I jump to conclusions, but do you have… schizophrenia?"

"Um… No…"

"Ah, pardon me then…"

"But… But I have something else…"

"I knew it…"

"P-Please, follow me. I h-have to watch the p-phones…"

"Come on then," Elizabeth said and grabbed Aya's hand. "Will this be okay?"

"Uhum!" Aya nodded whilst making a cat face.

 _"_ _One time she's a five year old girl, and the other she's like Hannibal Lecter…"_

She two went to the office.

"P-Please, sit," Aya said while pointing out the armchair in the corner.

Elizabeth took a seat, and at the same time, Aya moved the chair from behind the desk and placed it near the spot Elizabeth was seated.

"S-So…" Aya took a deep breath. "C-Can I talk with c-closed eyes?"

"If that will calm you down or something, then please."

"Thanks," Aya smiled and closed her eyes. "So, it's not schizophrenia, although many people confuse it with… The thing I have is called multiple personality disorder or MPD for short. Basically, I'm like Jekyll and Hyde, heh…"

"But you remember what you've done as… err… your other self, right?"

"Yes. The other me has access to all my memories."

"I see. So… How did this all happen? How did your personality got split in half? If I may ask, of course."

"I heard that you already know about the fourth grade accident, which will ease this a bit… It all started afterwards. My personality split in two – the Aya you normally see, and _Battle Aya_ , as some call her. At first, she was a problem… She would take over for whatever reason, and even Kuro couldn't control her. But my Grandpa helped me with his magic, and he tamed her. However, she is still dangerous. Only through sheer willpower, I keep her from manifesting all the time, but when it's battle time, it's battle time. I have to say, she has the better combat skills by far, and she somehow improved a lot after… after Simone died…"

"Can… Can this be cured?"

"I don't know… The doctors mostly shake their heads, spread their arms, and look up, as if seeking guidance from Heavens…" Aya sighed. "This is indeed problematic, but not as much as you think, Elizabeth. Oh and... If anything happens, I apologize in advance…" Aya opened her eyes.

"No need, I know how to handle the other you now," Elizabeth smiled warmly. "Aya… Aya… You are a bundle of mishap… But that only makes you more likeable, heehee…"

"O-Oh… Thanks…" Aya blushed fiercely.

"Hey, can I stay here a bit until the rest returns? I'm dead bored, and I don't want to train in the morning…"

"S-Sure! You can stay e-even afterwards!"

"Afterwards, we'll see. But thanks for the offer. Care to turn on the radio?"

"Ah, please, help yourself!"

 **Kamyshin**

"You saw that, right?" Katie asked.

"Indeed, I did," Ellie answered with a straight face. "The girls seem to be busy. That's good. Nothing worse than bored soldiers."

"Well, they were about to train any minute anyway."

"Ah, right… So, point one in our agenda – a tie. I wonder where you can get a tie here…"

"Let's ask around, nothing to be shy about!" Katie cheered.

"Hah, right!"

 **Commander's office**

Both Aya and Elizabeth heard a knock on the door, to which the former answered, "Come in!"

In came Sieglinde, Angela, and Shinobu.

"Huh? What's she doing here?" Sieglinde asked pointing out at the Britannian.

"I have a name…" she mumbled.

"Umm… Due to circumstances beyond my control… I had to let her in on my secret…" Aya squirmed around while looking at Shinobu. "The other me got a bit cocky…"

"She knows," Angela said while nodding towards Shinobu.

"Oh… Really?"

"Yup. Your friend told me it in secret, but now it seems more and more people know about it…" Shinobu sighed.

"I hope you're not angry at me, Aya?" Angela asked a bit hesitantly.

"No! Of course not… You did it in good will… But… Errr… I have a favor…"

"Say it."

"You and Shinobu…" Aya looked at the two.

"What we?" Shinobu asked dumbfounded.

"I think I know what Aya means," Angela smiled and put her hand forward towards Shinobu. "I'm Angela.

"Wh… Ooooooh! Well, I've got nothing against it," Shinobu grabbed Angela's hand. "And I'm Shinobu."

"I think I'm missing some frames from the movie…" Elizabeth pondered at them suspiciously.

"Ah, you don't know… Well, Shino and Angela officially befriended each other."

"Makes sense. If the two started quarreling, we'd all be fucked over, heh…"

"Right?" Angela smirked. "Anyway, we've come here to give a report and do a side job, so to speak."

"Side job?" Aya tilted her head.

"We need to assess the Final Art capabilities of the unit members. Turns out the Liberian has hers mastered."

"Oh, that's nice. Let me get a pen and some paper, and I'll write down what you have to report, heehee…"

The one giving the report was Shinobu, but just after Aya wrote down the first words, the former said, "Hey, Aya?'

"Yes?"

"Where did your beautiful handwriting go?"

"Oh, that? I still know how to write that way, heh… But I had to develop a new style for official writing, since my superiors said it was too… flairy."

"Ooookaaaay… Well, continuing…"

After a few minutes, a report was written down. Both Angela and Shinobu glanced through it, and the first one said, "Perfect. You sure know how to give reports, Shinobu."

"Heh, you might not know it, but I saw a certain propaganda movie from the SNW about the importance of giving good reports…" Shinobu smirked.

"No way! You saw it?!" Aya shouted all of a sudden.

"Hah, yeah! I mean seriously, your Gramps is so handsome that if I was my Grandma, I definitely would make him take responsibility!" Shinobu said with a flame of passion in her eyes.

"Oh Shino, can it already! My granddaddy wouldn't do it with you in a million years! We already kicked that horse dead!"

"Yeah… Okay…" Shinobu mumbled.

"Wait a second? You have a crush on Aya's grandpa?" Sieglinde asked. "But he might as well be YOUR grandfather!"

"If you ever met him, you would know what a piece of man he is..."

"Well… If you put it that way… Now that I remember it…" Sieglinde pondered and suddenly turned red on her face.

"Hah, gotcha!" Shinobu shouted triumphantly. "You had indecent thoughts!"

"Guilty as charged…" Sieglinde sighed deeply. "Maybe I'll have to visit Nami again…" she whispered to herself.

Everyone except Elizabeth turned their gazes towards the blonde Karlslander.

"W-What?! I have my needs!"

"Your needs are highly immoral, Sieglinde," Angela reprimanded her with a stern face.

"Bah, whatever! It's training time! Follow me you two!" Sieglinde ran out of the room.

"That Sieglinde…" Angela shook her head. "Come on, Shinobu, let's go."

"Sure thing."

After the two exited, Elizabeth said, "I'm missing something again…"

"M-Maybe I'll e-explain it later…" Aya mumbled with a face red as a Ferrari.

"You know what… I'll go training. Don't get the wrong idea though."

"Well, I know that I'm not the ideal conversation partner for most people, heehee… Don't worry, you're dismissed!"

"Thank you, ma'am!" Elizabeth straightened herself out and saluted, causing the two to cackle uncontrollably.

"Oh, but…" Elizabeth started calming down. "I believe your redheaded friend wanted to do something…"

"Right! Remind them, okay? I guess Sieglinde and Shinobu messed up her plans a bit, heh…"

"On it."

Elizabeth ran out into the corridor, and she saw the first of the three opening the door to the bedroom. A sudden impulse told her to whistle, so she placed two fingers in her mouth and blew, producing a whistle that could rival a locomotive.

Angela got startled a bit, but the three turned towards Elizabeth.

"You were supposed to do something?" she asked.

"Ah damn it!" Angela slapped her forehead. "Thanks for the reminder."

"No problem, I'm going training with you right now."

"Then couldn't you just walk up and tell it like a normal person?!"

"I had this sudden impulse to whistle… I didn't even know I could whistle so loud!"

Angela ruffled her eyebrows and said, "That must be a skill from your time before the accident… You should ask your cousin about it."

"Good idea!" Elizabeth cheered and ran towards them

 **Ten minutes later**

 **Gym**

"Everyone, before we begin, Angela here has an announcement."

"Thank you, Sieglinde. The thing is simple: I need to know who of you is capable of using their Final Arts and to what degree."

"And what do you need that for?" Nami asked.

"Tactics."

"Ah… Well, my Final Art is well handled by me…" she smiled mysteriously.

"And what is it?"

"It's-a-se-cret."

"Ugh… Offensive or defensive?"

"Offensive, of course!"

"Moving on…. Shinobu? You're capable, right? I saw correctly back then?"

"Yes."

"Okay then… Elizabeth?"

"Ah, so you know my name… My Ballistic Stabilization derived Final Art is of no mystery or difficulty to me. But…"

"But?" Angela asked.

"I supposedly should have pyrokinetic abilities, but I can't use them no matter how hard I try…"

"That's odd. Are you sure you possess the capabilities to do so?"

"I should, since it's in my bloodline. I wonder if Cousin has problems with it too…"

"It's true she didn't exhibit such powers in the battle we were with her," Shinobu pondered. "We have to go deeper."

"Indeed," Angela nodded.

"Hey, but tell us what Final Arts you have!" Nami demanded with a cheerful face.

"You should know it from history class, you dingus," Sieglinde smirked.

"We're history already?" Nami tilted her head.

"No, damn you… Our grandmothers had the same."

"Mmmm… Riiiight… Riiiight… I forgot, teehee pero…" Nami bonked herself on the head gently.

"Mother of God…" Sieglinde sighed with resignation. "What the fuck ever, ask Shinobu later or something, we're already behind schedule!"

"But we ain't going anywhere, right?"

"Somebody hold me! She's oblivious!" Sieglinde shouted while flailing her hands in the air.

"Now, now, don't do anything rash, Sieglinde," Angela said while holding her furious friend back. "Nami, tell me – what are Karlslander known of in the world?"

"Ummm… Beer?"

"Yes, but not what I meant."

"Sausages?"

"No."

"Oktoberfest?"

"No…" Angela said with an eyebrow twitching.

"Lederhosen?"

"No…"

"Yodeling?

"For fucks sake! I'll kill her! I fucking will!" Angela yelled furiously, so that Sieglinde now had to restrain her. "It's punctuality you oblivious ditz! Punctuality! And ordnung! Ordnung muss sein! Blaaaaargh!"

"What am I witnessing right now?" Elizabeth asked a bit fearfully.

"Angela is a patriot, but also a hothead with a very wide margin of tolerance. Pissing her off is difficult, but when you finally manage to… This happens…" Elsa explained.

"But why did Sieglinde react like that?"

"You have to know your history, Nami," Sieglinde said calmly. "Sorry for jumping at you like that."

"Sure, no problem. But I also have to apologize," Nami said apologetically and bowed deeply. "I have a habit of playing dumb, just for laughs."

"Hey, that's just like me!" Elsa butted in cheerfully and raised her hand. "High five!"

The hands of the two slapped together, and they laughed amongst the resigned headshakes of the rest.

"You can let me go now…" Angela mumbled, and after Sieglinde let her go, she added, "I really fell for that one, and sorry I got so steamy… I forgot you spent almost half a year with Aya, so you should know a bit about our culture…"

"Of course I know! I ate so much Karlslander food that I could make a hundred menus out of that! And Aya was really adamant about teaching us the ways of a Karlslander!"

Sieglinde ostentatiously pointed out at an imaginary watch on her wrist with a tired face.

 **Kamyshin**

 **Three hours later**

"Well, I think that's that," Katie exhaled after setting down two bags full of various goods onto the back of the big truck. "Or do you want to drag us around a bit more?" she added with a sour face.

"No, my dear comrade, not today," Ellie smiled. "Into the cabin with you, we're going back."

"Yaaaaaay…" the chestnut haired Leh moaned and jumped of the back of the truck.

After securing the tailgate, she quickly ran inside of the car and rubbed her hands together.

"Cold?" Ellie asked.

"Guess what? The Earth is round!"

"Tee hee… Good that we have some heating here or we would freeze off our bums."

"True that. You'd have to be an Inuit to survive in this tin can during such a winter!"

"Also true. Now, let's go back and see what are dear girls have botched up, shall we?"

"You da boss, Elka." Katie grinned fiercely.

"Oh you! Stop, or I'll "Kaśka" you all the way till the base!"

"Wagh, hell no! I give!"

"Truly, I'm the boss," Ellie giggled and turned the ignition key, waking up the six-liter petrol engine.

 **Commander's office**

 **Ten minutes later**

Yet another time that day, Aya heard a knock on the door.

"Cooome iiin…" she moaned.

The door opened, revealing the tall mechanic and only male in the base.

"Oh, Kola!" Aya livened up immediately. "W-What took you?"

"Ugh, don't ask… Despite my best efforts, everything here is keeping itself together on a word of honor…"

"They say that makeshift is the most durable, heehee… C-Come on, have a seat."

"Why don't mind if I do…" Kola mumbled and slumped down in the chair. "Really now… But I guess my job was more fun than yours, right?"

"Y-Yeaaaaaah… Not much to guess, heh…" Aya laughed dryly.

"Well then, I'll tell you a joke. But first, I want to know how well are you oriented in the tidbits of _eastern_ culture?"

"Uh… Kinda good, I t-think…"

"Then I'll try to crack you up. The First Secretary of the Communist Party comes to a small village and started promising God knows what since the elections are coming. At the end of his meeting, he looks at the not-so-good roads in the village, so he says, "Comrade citizens! Your village has bad access and even worse interior roads! I promise to build better roads and a new bridge!" And so, the rabble cheers. But then, one guy shouts, "Comrade First Secretary! Why a bridge? We don't have a river!" to which the First Secretary answers, "So we'll build a river too!"

Kola looked at Aya, who teared up while snickering fiercely. However, a second later she just let it out, laughing heartily.

 _"_ _She looks so cute when she's laughing…"_

The door opened and Ellie entered, with Katie just behind her.

"Now, now, what a happy bunch we have here?"

Aya quickly jumped up and stood in attention, but she couldn't stop laughing.

"Kola, what joke did you tell her?" Katie asked. "She's laughing as if she inhaled a dentist's stash!"

"The one about the First Secretary and the village bridge."

"Oh… Heheheh… Good one," Katie snickered briefly herself.

"Okay, Aya, calm down already, because I need you to tell me what happened while the two of us were absent," Ellie said calmly after placing her hand on her addressees shoulder.

Aya inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times, and she pointed out to the report lying on the desk.

"Ah, a report? Good job, Aya! Wait a second, I'll read through it and decide whether to bother you further, okay?"

"Y-Yes ma'am," Aya nodded and went to Kola's side.

Kola, seeing a chance, said, "Hey, look."

Aya looked at him, and he moved his right hand before his face. Then, he lifted his index finger and started moving it up and down, as if he was squeezing a trigger, imitating a worm.

"Wahahahahaha!" Aya exploded into laughter and fell down on the arms of the armchair, not stopping to laugh.

"Jesus… Kola, stop already," Ellie sighed. "It's hard to read when you have somebody laughing like a lunatic. No offence, Aya."

"I couldn't possibly know," Kola shrugged.

"Whatever now…"

Kola grabbed Aya under her ribs from both sides and seated her deep on his lap. She stiffened immediately and stopped laughing.

"Much better," Ellie smiled and resumed her reading.

"K-K-K-Kola… W-W-What…"

"Somehow I knew this would calm you down, heh… Okay now, no more laughing till Ellie reads your report."

"S-Sure."

"Good girl," he said and patted her on the head.

Now, Aya loosened up immediately and propped herself against Kola's chest with her back.

"Now this is unexpected…"

"Now I'm envious…" Katie puffed her cheeks.

"I have one hand free," Kola said with a cheeky smile while waving his left hand in the air.

"Pffff… No!"

"Suit yourself."

After a minute, Ellie put the report down on her desk and said, "I have nothing more to ask, at least about the battle. Aya, besides the battle, did anything worth mentioning happen?"

Aya was still in bliss while being patted by Kola on the head.

"Kola…"

Kola raised his hand, and after a few seconds Aya asked, "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Ellie is asking you something.'

"Oh?" Aya looked at her commander.

"You really like being patted on the head, huh?"

"Um… Well…" Aya's cheeks started reddening slowly. "That's how Dad always cheers me up…"

"How cute. So, anything happened when the two of us were absent?"

"Ah, n-nothing worth mentioning."

"Are you suuuuuure?" Katie mused and looked at Kola.

Aya caught the bait and looked at Kola too, and her face flushed with carmine immediately.

"N-N-Nothing i-i-i-i-ndecent!"

"Hahahaha! Aaaah… Young love…" Katie held her hands together under her chin. "Say, Aya, is he the first guy you loved in your life?"

"B-B-Beside my relatives?"

"Of course."

"Y-Y-Yeah…"

"Hoho! Kola, you sure a lucky guy!"

"Am I?"

"Duh! You are Aya's first BF! And she is your first GF, am I right, or am I right?"

"Indeed, so it is," Kola smiled

"So don't squander such an occasion!" Katie raised her finger up.

"Y-Y-Yes ma'am!" Aya saluted.

"Oh you two together are so funny," Ellie smiled. "Now, shoo you two. We have some business to discuss. I believe you have to catch up to your training, Aya?"

"Ah, yes… And the girls are probably ending theirs already…" Aya mumbled sadly.

"You can take Kola with you. You trained quite nicely together yesterday," Katie said.

Aya's head turned towards Kola, and he replied, "Sure thing. Maybe you can teach me a thing or two, Aya?"

The black haired Karlslander almost nodded her head off her neck, and they exited the room.

"So... Who do we let in on the birthday party preparations?" Katie asked.

"I'll decide later. But one person is a must, and you well know who." Ellie smirked.

"Eheheh, oh sure…" Katie joined in on the smirking.

* * *

 **Nope, no AN here.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	19. Chapter 19 – Making a splash

Chapter 19 – Making a splash

* * *

 **Corridor**

"S-So… Um… We'll be t-training together?" Aya asked.

"If you don't want to, I'll understand it," Kola smiled.

"N-No! I want!"

"Then you go dress up, and I'll go dress up."

"Okay!" Aya cheered and ran off to the bedroom. Upon opening the door quietly, she saw some of the girls on their bunks, and Tatiana dressing up.

"M-Morning," Aya said.

"Ah, good morning, Aya. What did I miss?"

"Eh… I was the commander for a few hours, heh…"

"Another supply run I guess…" Tatiana muttered. "Say, know a method to wake sleepy face here?" she pointed out to Aina who was snoring with her mouth open. "Maybe holding her breath?"

"Yea-No! No, not that."

"Oh? Why?"

"Erm… I overheard something… But I'm not sure whether it would apply to suffocation but…"

"You piqued my interest… I'll ask her about it during our patrol tonight. Now excuse me, I have to try to wake her up first."

"Try pulling her cheeks… Or… Er… T-Tickling her in the foot…"

"Thanks for the info."

Aya went on to her bed, but she saw Marie waving her in, so she detoured to the Gallians sleeping spot.

"Aya… Do you or one of your friends know something about weapons?"

"Um… We all know about weapons… Shooting and…"

"No, no… I mean dismantling and such."

"Ah… Well… B-Both Sigi and I know a thing or two about weapon maintenance… W-What's the problem?"

"I… My FAMAS jammed and I'm kinda scared to dismantle it…"

"Hmmm… This would prove prob…"

Aya's sentence was stopped during its voicing, because Aina laughed suddenly and vividly.

"Stop! Stop! Ahahahaha! I give! I give! I'm awake!" she screamed.

"Heheh… Well, a-anyway…" Aya continued. "Since Sigi will be cooling off after training, I think I should help you… D-Do you have a servicing manual?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Okay then, let's go." Aya said but she ruffled her eyebrows. "Ah… I was supposed to train with Kola…"

"My… Then go, I'll wait."

"No, no. A jammed weapon is an unusable weapon, and who knows what and when could attack us. Take the manual and your coat and go to the lobby, I'll go notify him."

 _"_ _Oh my, I didn't stutter…"_

Marie nodded, and Aya took her own coat and ran off towards Kola's room. However, she forgot to knock, and when she opened the door, she witnessed her boyfriend in the nude, like a Greek sculpture of old.

"Kola, there's a…" she stopped and looked closely, first and his naked torso, then lower on his chiseled abs and finally at his _crown jewels_.

And at that same moment, her legs went soft.

"Aya!" Kola shouted and ran towards her, managing to catch her just before she fell to the ground. "Hey, Aya…"

"What… Why am I on the floor…"

"You'd better not look down."

He felt as she stiffened up instantaneously and looked at him tensely.

"K-K-K-Kola, I-I-I'm n-n-n-ot r-r-r-ready!"

 _"_ _Your body says something else, Mistress,"_ Kuro said earnestly.

"Whether you are or you aren't, it's only your call, Aya. Now, what did you want?"

"S-S-So y-y-y-out w-w-won't t-t-take a-a-advantage…?"

"No, not a bit."

"P-P-Pants…" Aya said with closed eyes.

"Ah, yes. Gimme a sec," Kola said and put Aya on the floor, with her facing the door.

After a bit, Kola placed his hands on Aya's shoulders from behind, and she almost jumped up.

"Y-You're only in your u-underpants, r-right?"

"Yeah."

"Then maybe I won't turn around…"

"Suit yourself; the view is rather nice I believe, heheheh…"

"I-I-I-It is… Wah! W-What am I t-t-talking about!"

"Ugh, Aya… Why are you such a scaredy cat, huh?"

"B-B-Because Mom told me t-to save myself f-for a s-special man…"

"What a wise mother you have. So, will you turn around?"

"No…"

"Then at least tell me what brought you here."

"Ah… Yes… Erm… Sorry, but I have to postpone our training for now…"

"Whatever the reason is, I understand. I'll just tinker around with this and the other waiting for you."

"Okay…"

Aya stood up and went to the door, but just as she grabbed the door handle, she looked back for less than a second behind her, and she scooted out into the corridor.

 _"_ _Oh my God… Ohmygodohmygodohmygod… I saw a man's… Oh my God… How would that fit… Gwaah! What am I thinking about!"_

She ran off to the lobby, where Marie was waiting for her with a big brown envelope.

"Aya? Why is your face red?" Marie asked honestly.

"Red? F-Face… Um… Well… Err… Errrrmm… Urrr.." Aya squirmed around while trying to find an answer, but she quickly found a way out. "It's a bit hot in here, heheheh… S-So, is that the manual?"

"Yes. I hope it'll help. But… It's in Gallian…"

"Oh, don't worry, heh… I know my way around the language," Aya winked. "Let's go!"

" _En avant_ (Onwards)!" Marie cheered.

 **Hangar**

"I think I know how your rifle works…" Aya muttered over the papers she carried.

"Already?!"

"Heh, it's not that hard once you get enough experience. Go get me your gun, and I'll get the tools."

"Okay!"

While Marie ran over to her Launch Unit, Aya walked over to hers and opened a compartment. She pulled out a box wrapped in cloth and spread the cloth on the floor. Marie returned to her with a rifle, and gave it to Aya a bit shyly.

"Let's see what gives…" Aya mumbled and removed the magazine, and raised the protective plate above the firing chamber afterwards. "I see…"

"W-What's wrong?!" Marie panicked.

"Sssh, Marie… Don't worry, it's not that bad."

Aya placed the butt stock against her shoulder, she pulled the cocking handle as far to the back as possible, and while titling the gun sideways, she pulled out a whole round, and then a spent cartridge.

"Now, finished I guess."

"So fast! I wouldn't have known!"

"A spent cartridge was stuck in the firing chamber, and somehow the next one got stuck and couldn't be extracted. I'll have to fire a few rounds to see if the extractor is okay, may I?"

"Of course! Please!"

"But… Hmmm…" Aya pondered and fired up her transponder. "Ma'am?"

"Yes, Aya?" Ellie asked.

"C-Can I shoot a few rounds? Marrie's r-rifle is malfunctioning and I have to ch-check if its' okay now."

"Sure thing Sweetie. Just stay safe."

"Thank you, ma'am," Aya said and smiled towards Marie. "You can stay here, okay?"

"Okay!"

Aya took the mag she removed with her and ran on to the hangar entrance. She opened the door slightly and pointed the gun towards the treetops in the far. She inserted the mag, pulled the cocking handle, and squeezed the trigger. The rifle shot all of the remaining rounds in the blink of an eye.

 _"_ _Hoohooo… Nice rate of fire. And it seems everything works. Phew… I thought I'd have to dismantle the whole rear of this damn thing just to tinker with the extractor…"_

Aya pulled the cocking handle and extracted the mag. She then turned around towards Marie and gave a thumbs up.

"Yaay!" Marie cheered and jumped up.

After approaching Marie, Aya said, "If something happens, tell me, I'll try to fix it."

"Sure! Merci!" Marie cheered further and hugged Aya.

"Oh… Heh… Thanks… But it was just basic maintenance…" she mumbled with a red face.

"I'm almost a-technical, Aya so…"

"Being a bumpkin?" Aya giggled.

"Hah, yes! Exactly! I prefer reading, knitting, and baking pies!"

"Are you fifty already?!"

"Ahahahah! _Tres amusant_ (So funny)!"

"Oh, l-let's go back, Marie! I wanted to train!"

"Yes, yes, immediately!"

The two ran off to the main building, and they entered the bedroom, where according to Aya's calculations everyone was now present.

"Ah, Aya, where have you been?" Sieglinde asked from her bunk.

"Hangar…"

"So the Oruskie was right," Sieglinde mumbled.

"Why should she be lying…?" Shinobu sighed.

"Where is she n-now?" Aya asked.

"She took sleepy face for a late breakfast," Angela answered. "And I believe you wanted to train?"

"She said that too? She sure has good ears… Well… Yeah… With Kola…"

"With Kola?! I have to supervise that!" Sieglinde shouted valiantly whilst shaking her fist.

"Why would you need to do that?" Aya asked truly surprised.

Sieglinde was opening her mouth already, but Giulietta was faster as she said, "Cuz she thinks you need a chaperon."

"Chap…eee…eeee…" Aya's face started getting red as her mouth moved like that of a stranded carp. "Chaperon?! W-W-Why would I n-n-need one?!"

"Yeah, why would she?" Shinobu asked. "Aya's almost adult, and Kola looks like an okay guy…"

"What the hell are you spouting on about?! Aya's experience with men is inexistent!"

"And what about you, huh?" Shinobu asked with a malevolent grin sprouting slowly on her face.

"Wh-what about me?!"

"What's YOUR experience with men, Frau Wisepants?"

"I… I… I… I kissed with a boy…"

"A boy, pfff… Barely counts. You never kissed a man other than your father, huh?"

"As if you were more successful!" Sieglinde rebuked.

"No. But I'm at least decent enough not to project my failures on Aya," she turned around towards said Karlslander. "And seriously, never even once, Aya?"

"Errrr… Weeeeeeeellll…" Aya squirmed around while rolling her eyes.

"Who was it?!" Sieglinde grabbed Aya's shoulders and started shaking her. "Who dared to defile your sweet lips?!"

"Ko-ooo-ooo-ooo-laa-aaa…"

"Son of a bitch! Why I oughta!" Sieglinde stopped shaking Aya and went towards the exit, but she was halted by Aya herself.

"No, no! It was an accident! And it was my fault! Totally my fault!"

"Explain…" Sieglinde cracked her knuckles.

"It was back when I was to notify him that the bath was free… There was a small grease stain on the floor, which I didn't notice, and I slipped and fell on Kola, who at the time was lying on his bed… And somehow, by p-pure c-coincidence w-w-we… k-k-k-kissed!"

Sieglinde's jaws dropped, and the cheers of the rest could be heard.

"Oh Aya…" Sieglinde suddenly hugged Aya tightly. "You're maturing so fast. Too fast for my liking…"

"Awww… Sigi…" Aya patted her on the back. "I still have a long way to full socialization so… I hope you'll guide me for a bit longer…"

"Of course I will! All the time you want!" Sieglinde hugged her even tighter and lifted Aya off the ground.

"Ahahaha, wooooo!" Aya cheered.

"Those two really like each other…" Giulietta noted. "Almost love I could say."

"Sieglinde is strong for the both of them," Angela said softly. "She loves Aya more than anything or anybody in the whole world... I hope you won't try anything that could set off Sieglinde, right?"

"No, no, God forbid! I know Aya is forbidden territory for my grabby hands. Or Miss Panzerfaust for all that matters…"

"About Sieglinde… Hmmm… I wouldn't lay down that thought just yet…" Angela winked.

"Wait, wha…"

"Ssshhh… You know nothing…" Angela winked yet again.

"You developed a nasty tick," Giulietta responded with one herself and a smug smile.

Sieglinde put Aya down on the ground and she said, "However, I still insist on going with you."

"Oh okay, whatever…" Aya sighed. "Prepare my gym clothes while I notify Kola."

"Y-Yes! _Sofort_ (Immediately)!" Sieglinde replied briskly.

After Aya went out, Elwyn said, "Fifty bucks says that Aya will lose her virginity to Kola by the end of the month."

"What the fuck?!" Sieglinde raised her head from above Aya's clothes. "Clarke, you want a black eye?!"

"Woman, are you blind?! Whenever Aya even thinks about Kola, she's almost melting! And you heard her, they already kissed. Bah, they even got a bit touchy-feely."

Sieglinde furled her eyebrows and said, "A fifty says they won't do it. Aya may be…" she shuddered. "…deeply in love with that guy, but I heavily doubt she'll crack and go all out with him."

"You're on, Kraut! Everyone here is a witness!"

A collective sigh went out of the mouths of almost everyone around.

 **Corridor**

Earning her lesson, Aya knocked on the door this time.

"Yeah?" Kola asked.

"A-Are you decent?"

"Ah, Aya. Well, it depends on the definition of decent."

"At least undies on!"

"Well then, I think I qualify. Come in if you want."

"I'm going in."

Aya opened the door, and she had to take a deep breath after seeing Kola almost naked yet again today.

"S-So… If you want to train with me…"

"Right now?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Sure thing. I'll get dressed and wait for you before the gym door, kay?"

Aya nodded, and added, "But Sigi insisted on coming… So if it doesn't bother you…"

"Not at the slightest. In fact, I want to ask her about a few things."

"Oh, nice! Then I'll be going!" Aya cheered and ran off.

 _"_ _What a girl… What… A… Girl…"_

 **Two minutes later**

Kola saw Sieglinde and Aya waiting for him before the gym door, and at the same time, he felt as his back was stared through after he passed the girls bedroom door. He decided to get his small revenge and he turned around rapidly.

"Waaagh!" the girls shouted and scuttled back.

Elsa fell on the floor through the doorway into the corridor, but she was quickly dragged inside, and a hand closed the door behind her.

"Heheheh…" he laughed to himself and continued his venture towards the giggling Aya, and ever so stern Sieglinde. "Hello, ladies."

"Heeheeheee..." Aya giggled further.

"Come on, big guy. No time for dilly dallying," Sieglinde said coldly.

"You don't look like you're going to work out," Kola noted, seeing Sieglinde's normal uniform.

"A coach doesn't have to work out."

Kola was about to say something, but instead, he just waved his hand, giving off a short, "Eh..." and opened the door.

 **Two hours later**

 **Dining room**

Kola, Sieglinde and Aya were the last to arrive for dinner. He took his usual place near Ellie, but she sniffed audibly and demonstratively around him, and with a sour face she said, "Sorry to be blunt, but you stink, Bro…"

"I worked out, and you didn't give me or my girlfriend the time to bathe."

"True," Ellie said. "But nonetheless, could you move two seats to the right? Please, don't take it personally."

"Yeah, yeah… Mumble grumble… _Yolki polki_ …" Kola muttered and moved himself to the side.

In mere three seconds, Aya sat beside him with a glad face.

"I-I don't care if you stink…." she almost whispered.

"Well, at least one of you is nice, heh… I'll hit the showers after dinner and call it a day."

"Unless there's something I'll need you to do," Ellie added.

"Indeed," Kola smiled.

"Everyone, line up!" Katie shouted from the kitchen. "Food's a ready!"

"I'll take…" both Kola and Aya said while standing up.

In this brief moment of consternation, Ellie said, "Each of you get their own grub."

The two nodded and went in line.

* * *

When they were finishing their meal, Kola noticed something.

"Hey, Aya, you have some sauce on your face, you little piglet."

"Oh? Where?"

"There," he pointed out the spot from a far.

"I don't get where you're pointing at," she said, still oblivious.

"Ugh… Here!" he just took his finger and wiped off the sauce stain of her cheek.

"Heeheehee…"

"Oh you little devil, you played me!"

"Heehee… Yes!" Aya gave off a cheeky grin. "I hope you're not mad?"

"Nah, how could I be mad at such a sweet girl.

"S-S-S-Sweet…" Aya blushed vividly.

"Get a room you two…" Katie moaned.

"No!" Sieglinde shouted as she almost jumped off her seat.

"Calm down…" Shinobu sighed and pushed her back down on her seat. "Our vice-commander wouldn't just endorse snuggling in the public like that, right?"

"Hmmm… Who knows, who knows…" Katie mused with a sly smile.

Sieglinde shot up from her chair again, but she was yet again forcefully seated and gagged by Elsa this time.

"If they want to do anything indecent, they will do it," Ellie said. "And no person and no order will hold them apart, that's for sure. I just hope they won't be stupid enough to get caught with their pants down, hmm?" she looked at the two in question.

"Aya, what do you say to getting caught with our pants down?" Kola asked his much smaller girlfriend.

Aya looked back at him with an empty stare.

"Aya?" he said and waved his hand before her eyes.

"Awwww, you broke Aya…" Elsa mumbled.

"Is she okay?" Marie asked.

"Aya is… dead shy when it comes to sexual themes…" Angela explained a bit hesitantly.

"So that explains some things…" Kola muttered.

"What things?!" Sieglinde yelled.

"Shut up!" Shinobu and Elsa tag teamed their friend into submission.

"Well, when she first came into my room, I was only in my briefs. Aya looked more or less paralyzed when she saw me."

"That only confirms it," Angela scratched her head. "But… Kola and Aya are now an item so… I have a little request…"

"And what would that be?"

"Should I really spell that out? Okay then. I want you to have more physical contact with Aya, so she'll get accustomed to you. But don't get me wrong, oh no! If you try something funny against Aya's will, you'll be punched back into the Jurassic!"

"Hah, okay, that's reasonable. So, how do I reset Aya now?"

"And how did you do that earlier?"

"I just talked to her, but she seemed a bit more responsive."

"Oh, then maybe you should kiss her?" Elwyn proposed.

"Why Imfmffmfmffmmf…" Sieglinde tried to voice her opinion but she was quickly silenced.

"Do I look like Prince Charming to you?"

"Well… Kinda…" Elwyn shrugged.

"Whatever now. But only on the forehead."

Elwyn, Giulietta, and Katie booed him immediately.

"Okay, okay! I'll kiss her properly, but you get that blonde berserker of my back."

"Deal!" Elsa cheered while pinning down Sieglinde to her chair tighter.

"Ugh… Forgive me…" Kola sighed and moved on closer to Aya.

As his lips moved closer to Aya's, some of the girls leaned over closer, while Sieglinde gave off a muffled sigh of resignation and watched with furled eyebrows.

However, Kola played everyone masterfully, as he gave Aya just a quick peck. Amidst the boos and hisses of the disappointed part of the fray, Aya blinked a few times, looked around and asked, "What happened?"

"You sort of froze up," Elizabeth explained briefly.

"Oh…"

"But your knight in shining armor thawed you out," Giulietta snickered.

"Oh?" Aya looked at Kola surprised.

"Your friends are quite a spoiled bunch," Kola shrugged.

"What did you do?"

"I kissed you," Kola answered with a straight face.

"K-K-K-K-Kissed?! M-M-M-Me?!"

"The rabble insisted. I was for a kiss on the forehead personally."

"R-Really?"

"Yup," Elwyn confirmed.

"O-Okay…" Aya's face turned into a pouty one. "T-Then you're forgiven…"

"That reminds me of something. Aya, come with me for a few minutes," Ellie said.

"B-But…"

"This doesn't have to do with what happened now. Come on, be a good girl."

"Y-Yes ma'am."

"Kola, you hit the showers and take a nice bath."

"Yes, yes – I stink. You've made a point already."

"Hmm, it's good you remember," Ellie smiled and stood up. "Other than that, everyone dismissed. Who has to – prepare for your afternoon training. The rest are free like birds. Within previously agreed boundaries that is."

"Maaaa'aaaam!" Elsa waved her hand.

"What is it, Elsa?"

"Don't we need to like, resupply or something? I spent a whole drum in the last battle I used my gatling, and I only have two left and no spares."

"You have a point… Hmm… I know. Girls, cancel that freedom for now. After I'm finished with Aya, and after the dishes are done, let's all take stock of our ammo and we'll see what should be replenished."

"Mmmfmfmmmm?" Sieglinde mumbled.

"Oh, pardon," Elsa said and let her go.

"Thanks… And then we can train, ma'am?"

"Yes, Sieglinde, then you can train."

"You can let me go too," she looked at Shinobu.

"Pardon for the inconvenience."

"Okay girls, I'm off. No peeking," Kola winked and walked out of the room.

"No peeking, huh?" Elsa said with a mischievous face.

"No peeking," Aya placed her hands on her friends shoulders.

"I guess that's a definite no?"

"Uhum."

"Already playing the jealous girlfriend? Slow down, Aya, heheheh…"

"I don't want you to get demoralized, heheh…"

"So you've seen _it_ already?" Shinobu asked.

"Yeah…" Aya's cheeks flared up.

"WHAT?!" Sieglinde roared and stood up.

"Nope!" Elsa pinned her down to the chair once again.

"Whoops… I think I boasted unnecessarily… Heh…"

"Say, how is it?" Elwyn nudged Aya in the ribs with her elbow.

"Uh… Well…" Aya's face flamed up and she showed the _size_ with her two hands spread apart.

The eyes of some of the girls suddenly became anomalously big, which made Aya giggle.

"If that's the flaccid… Then…" Elwyn murmured to herself. "Mother of God! Aya, you better prepare some painkillers for the morning after you do it…"

"W-Why?"

"Well, according to my knowledge…"

"No, no, too much info!" Aya changed her mind rapidly. "I-I c-caught up to you…"

"Ah, good," Elwyn smiled.

"Come, Aya. You too, Katie," Ellie said.

"Aw, but we'll be one short on dish washing!" Elwyn protested.

"True. Sieglinde, you need to blow off some steam. To the dishes, now," Ellie commanded with a straight face.

"Yes ma'am…" Sieglinde muttered and started taking the plates.

"We'll wait for you," Angela said.

"Thanks…"

Sieglinde continued to collect the plates silently, and she dumped them in the kitchen sink.

"Come on, don't be such a fucking sourpuss," Elwyn said.

"Oh lo and behold! You should be the last person trying to cheer me up!"

"Don't be such a grump," Elizabeth chimed in. "If you want, you can open up to us, really."

"I don't intend to."

"Oh you will, or we'll bother you till Kingdom Come with our banter and conjectures about what the hell is wrong with you."

"Still won't talk about it."

"Can I start, Elwyn?" Elizabeth asked.

"Fire away, Liz!"

"So, you're grumpy like a bear freshly awakened after winter, because Aya is ACCIDENTALLY having some "incidents" with Kola. Given the fact that Aya and you know each other a long time, and seeing how you pamper on her, you have to be best chaps. Going farther, I would say you literally have a crush on Aya, ergo, seeing Kola, a rival for the heart of your beloved; you go amok whenever he even looks at her. Did I get it, or did I get it?"

They both looked at Sieglinde, who was now looking at them with her jaw dropped.

"How the…"

"I'm a sniper, my dear blonde-haired comrade. I have to be observant," Elizabeth winked. "And I spent a fair amount of time with Aya today, so I observed her a bit closer."

"Right, you did… But you got one thing wrong."

"What's that?"

"I'm not protecting Aya from Kola because I'm being possessive. It's because I want to protect her from making irrational decisions. And I still don't trust that guy… There's something fake about him…"

"Hopefully not his dick…" Elwyn mumbled.

The stern Karlsander giggled slightly and asked, "What was that talk about his dick just a few minutes ago?"

"Bend over; I'll whisper it to ya."

Sieglinde slightly bent herself downwards and Elwyn whispered her two complete sentences.

"No fucking way…" Sieglinde gasped and tried to imagine what she just heard. "I have to protect Aya from that beastly…"

"Stop already," Elwyn said with a firm voice. "If Aya doesn't burn herself with fire, she won't know it's hot."

"But!"

"No buts. Or I'll tell you friend to pin you down to the floor."

"But…" Sieglinde whimpered.

"I'm telling you, give Aya some breathing space. And if you're so concerned about Kola being not the man who everyone thinks he is, just go and damn interrogate him!"

"You know what? Good idea! I'll go and…" Sieglinde turned around towards the exit from the kitchen.

"Oh no you don't!" Elwyn grabbed her arm. "Dishes, now!

"Ah, shit… Goddamn… Let's get this over with; I'll question that bastard after training."

"I would advise to abstain from that," Elizabeth said. "What if Kola breaks up with Aya because of your meddling, and it hits her hard?"

"For fucks sake, stop confusing me! Argh!" Sieglinde yelled. "But yeah… You are right… I'll put a lid on it for the time being. However, he's not off my list just yet…"

"Less mumbling, more scrubbing!" Elwyn shouted. "Or we'll be here till spring!"

 **Same time**

 **Commander's office**

"Take a seat Aya, there's no sense in having you standing," Ellie pointed out at the armchair.

Aya sat on the edge of it and asked, "So… Ma'am…"

"I'll get straight to the point, Dearie. Tomorrow is Kola's birthday."

"N-No way! B-But… I have no presents… And…"

"We have a nice gift for him; you can give it in everyone's name. And if you're concerned about festivities, you're one step behind us. You see, we need somebody trustworthy to organize the party. Or more somebodies."

Aya's eyes sparkled and she shouted, "Just tell me the details, and I'll get everyone I can!"

"Ha, how eager! Very well…"

After listening to the brief explanation, Aya said, "Sigi and Angela are in, I can promise that. But… But I won't take Elsie, she's a blabbermouth… Shino and Nami could probably hop in…"

"That's already enough," Ellie smiled. "Tomorrow's dinner will be something Kola will remember heheheh…"

"Ma'am, w-what's the box in the corner?"

"Oh, that? That's a reward for Elwyn after she finishes her punishment tomorrow after supper. But shush, no word about it, okay?" Katie placed her index finger against her lips.

"A reward after being punished? I don't quite follow…"

"Basic behaviorism, Aya," Ellie explained. "I give her a reward, so she'll better remember that she was doing wrong."

"B-But what if she starts doing blunders on purpose?"

"Then her reward is forfeit, and her next punishment will be cranked up to eleven."

"Oh… This is… Unique…" Aya pondered.

"That's how I was brought up. A bit on the path of behavior, I really do hope you won't be indecent in public, understood?"

"Y-Yes ma'am! O-Of course ma'am!"

"Good. Now, call me crazy, but I won't forbid you intimate contact with Kola in private. You have a mind of your own, and you should know what consequences your every actions would carry. Use that hundred-ninety noggin of yours, and I won't have a tack to pin on you," Ellie said with a soft voice while smiling warmly.

"T-T-T-Thank you ma'am!" Aya almost cheered. "I p-promise I won't fail your trust!"

"Dismissed, Aya."

"Yes ma'am!" Aya saluted and ran off.

"You sure are lenient, Ellie."

"If getting closer to Kola will help the girl, I have to be. You know what a sucker I am for helping those in need…"

"Bah! If one of the girls asked you for ten dollars because she needs to send them to her parents in need, you would probably give her a hundred," Katie giggled.

"Oh shush… You'd better think about our _other_ duties."

"Ah… That…" Katie frowned and sighed. "I wonder how long reports like "nothing happened" will please those bastards…"

"That's the truth, Katie, so nothing will happen to us or anyone else as long as this status quo is upheld."

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	20. Chapter 20 – The proverbial straw

Chapter 20 – The proverbial straw

* * *

 **Bedroom**

"Hey, Tanya, wake up," Tatiana heard Aina's voice and she opened her eyes.

 _"_ _God damn it! Easy, Tatiana… Or you'll blow your cover…"_

"Ah, I must have dozed off…" Tatiana yawned demonstratively.

"Heehee… Seeing you sleep and me being awake is something new," Aina smirked innocently.

"There's always the first time…" she looked around. "Aya still out?"

"Yup. Guess the commander has an important mission for her."

"Or a talk of ages."

"Hey, watcha talking bout?" Giulietta turned around to them from her bunk.

"Nothing interesting, you boob devil," Tatiana answered coldly.

"Oh come on, that's old news already…"

"I don't know… You would probably grope me silly if I fainted in the nude."

"First of all, you have almost nothing on that chest of yours in my book, so you're safe unless you tick me off. Secondly, that was more or less accidental," Giulietta puffed her cheeks at the end of her utterance.

"Yeah, accidental… Have it your way, comrade."

"Pfff…" Giulietta hissed and turned around.

"You're a bit too harsh too Giulietta, you know?" Aina whispered.

"You wouldn't want to be groped out of nowhere, would you?"

"Meh, I'd live with that," Aina shrugged.

The door opened, and Aya entered the room, gazed upon by exactly everyone in the room. Aya tilted her head slightly in wonder, and then Nami waved her in.

"So, what happened? Did the commander yell at you for something?"

"No… No… It's about… Um… I'll tell you later, kay?"

"But it's nothing bad, I presume?" Shinobu asked.

"No, no," Aya replied, but at the same time, she wriggled her left and right eyebrow alternately. Both Nami and Shinobu nodded discretely. "So… What now?"

"I guess we're all waiting for Sieglinde now. Of course those who trained in the morning don't have to unless they're not obliged to do so."

" _Ah Scheiße_!" Angela shouted suddenly, so that Aina and Aya both jumped up.

"What's wrong with you?!" Giulietta asked irritated.

"Nothing, nothing… I just forgot something… Damn it… Well, might as well do part of it now. You, tits for brains, your Final Art."

"Pffffffffffffff…" Giulietta puffed her cheeks.

"Okay, sorry… Giulietta?"

"Much better!" the Romagnan cheered. "Same as me dear Mommy and Granny, and fully controlled by me!"

"Well, damn, we sure have some serious firepower," Angela smiled satisfied.

"Um… It's limited to sunny days and it's rather magic expensive…"

"Nevertheless, you should use it when necessary."

"Well duh!"

"Okay, moving on," Angela paused and said, "Suomus?"

"Well, better that than another nickname… Yeah, more or less the same what my ancestors had. I just don't have the prowess. Largest I can deceive for now is an HB-1."

"Still good enough in my book. This could be useful…" Angela's gaze turned over to Marie.

"Uhm… Yeeeees… Same as my Grandma, but I can only manage a limited number of bounces…"

"We'll train you when we get the occasion, don't worry. Ah, our _comrade_ is the only one left," Angela said while looking at Tatiana.

"Why so serious, comrade?" she smirked. "I'm not worse than my previous speakers. I can communicate with anyone on the whole globe, as long as they have a functional receiver with them."

"Very good…" Angela scratched her chin. "I'll lay out my findings to the commander after training."

"Exactly what findings?" Tatiana asked suspiciously.

"The proficiency of the Final Arts of all of us. It seems everyone from the… hmm… _working_ part of the unit has theirs available, and trained in various degrees."

"Isn't that data available to the commander anyway?"

"I have the feeling it's not."

"So you want to suck up to her?" Tatiana smirked.

"No, I just want the unit to work more efficiently," Angela replied with a straight face.

"Ah, Karlslanders and their fabled efficiency… Whatever turns your gears, comrade."

"Watch your mouth, because if my gears start turning in the wrong way…" Angela said in a low voice.

"Oh shut the hell up, both of you," Shinobu said firmly. "You two are squabbling like old women. Show some solidarity!"

The two first looked at each Shinobu, then at each other, and finally, they threw a fit and turned their backs towards themselves.

"Like children…" Shinobu sighed. "But at least they respect my authority in this room. Saying that, we should wait for the three doing the dishes, so we can go stocktaking."

* * *

A few minutes later, the three arrived and just mere seconds later, Katie barged in, so all of them went over to the hangars. After fifteen minutes, where each witch individually took stock of their ammunition supplies, the findings were handed over to Katie in written form.

"Now, that was surprisingly efficient," she said. "Okay, anything else we need?"

"About that MILES system…"

"Ah! Right, I have to talk that over with Ellie, thanks for reminding me!"

"A loader for my Vulcan!" Elsa cheered.

"Why do you need that?" Katie asked.

"Ma'am…" Elsa's face frowned immediately. "Did you ever have to reload a thousand round drum by hand?"

"Nope."

"You see… If not using a loader, you have to do it by hand. Loading thousand twenty-millimeter rounds by hand, despite your best effort, takes over two hours. And despite wearing protective gloves with reinforced fingertips, your hands will be damn bleeding…"

"Ouch… And I thought that loading five belts for a PKM by hand was punishment…"

"Actually, we need loaders, spare mags and ammo belts for every gun here. Also, I see there's a shortage of basic tools and diagnostics equipment here," Angela enumerated. "We're so dramatically undersupplied it hurts…"

"About that diagnostics equipment…" Elwyn raised her hand.

"I know, I know. You have your fancy-shmancy microcomputer. But we need at least one more."

"At least we won't starve here," Katie said. "If worse comes to worst, we can just go around Lebyazhye and beg for food. Farmers always have some supplies."

"What a craphole…" Elwyn sighed. "Back in the US, I never even thought about supplies. I went to the cantina – bam, grub. I went to the shooting range – bam, ammo."

"Same here," Angela added.

"Hey, don't paint it in such bleak colors!" Katie said with disapproval. "It's not that bad. We still have ammo for a few battles, and our pantry is stocked for another week. Anyway, thanks for the help, now you're all dismissed."

The girls nodded and went off back to the main building.

* * *

A few hours later, Aya managed to get Nami, Shinobu, Sieglinde, and Angela to meet secretly in the radio room.

"So, what's cooking? You were very enigmatic about this…" Nami said.

"And you even used our secret code notify us," Shinobu added.

"Secret code?" Sieglinde asked.

"Was that that eyebrow twitch?" Angela asked.

"Heehee, yes, it was. We developed a simple system of communicating in class while we were together," Aya explained. "So… Anyway… I gathered you all because I trust you completely…"

"Of course you do," Shinobu nodded.

"Oh shush, let her speak," Sieglinde interjected.

"So… There's an event tomorrow… And I was tasked by the commander to get a trusted team to set it up…"

"Oh? What could it be?" Nami wondered.

"The commander wants to celebrate Kola's birthday."

"Nope," Sieglinde crossed her hands with a stern face.

"Buuuut Siiiiiiigiiiiii!" Aya pled, making big eyes and holding Sieglinde's hand. "Do it for me!"

"O-O-Okay… But only for you! And please, don't start crying!" the usually stern Karlslander started panicking.

"Heehee, thanks!" Aya cheered.

"Details, Aya, details!" Angela demanded.

"Ah, yes! So…"

Aya briefly explained what's on the menu for tomorrow, to which she received understanding nods.

"Sounds doable," Shinobu concluded. "How old is Kola anyway?"

"Eeeeeeeerrrrrrrrr…"

"You don't know… Ehhhhh, Aya… You really are hopeless at times," the Fusojin smiled.

"Say, Aya, why don't we go to the commander right now?" Angela asked.

"What for?"

"Well, you'll report that you've got a team, and I'll report my little thing."

"Ah yes… Okay, let's go!" Aya cheered, but she quickly added. "Um… If nobody would tell anyone else about tomorrow…"

All the girls reassured Aya at the same time, so she was in good spirit while knocking at the commander's office door.

"Come in," Ellie said.

Aya opened the door, and before she could even salute, Ellie showed her the armchair.

"Ah, but I'm n-not alone…"

"Oh, indeed. So, what do you two want of me, Sweeties?"

Aya stood into attention and reported, "M-Mission successful, ma'am!"

"Ah? So you managed to _enlist_ everyone you said you would?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Very good, I'm proud of you!"

Aya blushed and replied, "T-Thank you, ma'am…"

"So what do you want, Angela?"

"Ma'am, how much do you know about the Final Arts of our unit?"

"Now that's an interesting question," Ellie answered after raising an eyebrow. "Why are you asking?"

"Well… I made an inquiry amongst my squad mates."

"Oh? Did you now? Wait a minute."

Ellie stood up and she opened a filing cabinet near her desk. She pulled out a stack of files and slammed them on the desk. She opened the first one, and after a brief glance she said, "As I suspected, nothing about your Final Arts. Your file, Aya, I won't even bother reading, because it looks like a test sheet in a marker factory."

"Really?" Aya asked.

"Here," Ellie pulled a file from the stack and handed it over to Aya. "See for yourself."

Aya opened it and already the first page was heavily redacted, with the following almost completely black.

"My… They made me look like a black op…" she muttered quietly under her nose.

"Yeah," Angela concurred.

"And everyone else's Final Arts aren't mentioned either," Ellie said after digging through the files. "Okay then, Angela. Have a seat at the chair and write down what you know. Aya, you can wait in the armchair."

"Yes ma'am," both responded and did what Ellie said.

A few minutes later, Angela turned the sheet of paper she was using towards Ellie. She in turn glanced through it and said, "We sure have a talented bunch of witches, that's an undeniable fact. Starting from Friday, we should focus on improving your Final Arts, and later, when the MILES system gets delivered, we should work on shooting practice. Yes… That will do… We should get this unit running at hundred percent efficiency or we'll end up as a shoddy backwater unit…"

"We will help with all our expertise, right Aya?"

"Of course!"

"Ha, what good girls you are… Now, scoot, I have to think a few things through, thanks to you, Angela."

"Yes ma'am. We're scooting off. Come on, Aya."

The girls exited the room, and Ellie leaned back in her chair.

 _"_ _Those witches are really something. They have a legendary pedigree, and despite their age and somewhat lack of experience, they already have access to their Final Arts… But why in hells name were we brought together in one unit? And here of all places? Maybe I should ask my superiors? All of them… No, maybe not… They hate free thinking... Ehhh… What have I gotten into, for the love of God! Oh well, whatever now, I'll just pull it through… Good that I already sent that requisition…"_

 **Corridor**

"Um… I think I'll go to Kola…" Aya mumbled.

"Oh? Well, go then. Just don't do anything _indecent_ ," Angela smirked roguishly.

"What do you think of me…" Aya puffed her cheeks.

"Heheh… Okay, go now."

Separating herself from her friend, Aya went to the door to Kola's room. She shyly knocked on it, and his voice asked, "Yes?"

"I-It's me…"

"Oh, Aya. What's up?"

"C-Can I go in?"

"Of course you can. I'm decent by the way."

"Heehee…" Aya giggled and opened the door.

Immediately, the smell of resin and solder attacked her nose, as she saw Kola behind a desk, lit with a single lamp. He had a handheld soldering iron in his right hand and a coil of solder in his left.

"So, what does my newly found girlfriend want?" Kola asked with a big smile.

"Oh… A-Are you busy?"

"Sort of. But I'm good at multitasking, so if you want to talk, then fire away."

"N-No… I just… I j-just wanted to be with you…"

"Heh… How sweet. Then if you want to do that, sit on my bed or something."

"Okay!"

Aya quickly jumped to Kola's bed and sat on its edge. Kola returned to his job, and started soldering wires to some kind of mechanism.

"W-What's that?"

"This? This is a remote controlled servomotor."

"Ah? W-What for?"

"Ellie told me to tell you to inspect the carton in the corner if you asked."

Aya looked through the corners of the room, and the saw a familiar box in the northeast corner. She approached it, and after lifting the flaps, she understood immediately.

"T-This is for Elwyn?"

"Yup."

"Y-You sure are helping her a lot…" she muttered.

"The girl just wants some entertainment. And since I'm the blue collar here, I'm doing it."

"R-Right…"

After a minute of standing and doing nothing, Aya felt an urge to do something. She scuttled behind Kola, and she hugged him.

"Oh? What's this?"

Aya quickly let go of Kola and said, "S-Sorry…"

"I didn't ask you to stop; I just asked what's going on?"

"Oh… S-So… I c-can go on?"

"Sure."

Aya resumed her hug while making a pleasured cat face.

"I… I just wanted to hug you… Dunno why…"

"It reminds me of Mom…" Kola said with a sad voice.

"Oh…"

Aya went silent, but after a bit, Kola asked, "You probably want to know more about her?"

"Mhm…"

"At least you're trying to be tactful, that's nice. She was a good woman, well-educated but unlucky. She loved both my stepfather and me but sometime after my twelfth birthday, she got a cold. Since we were a bit poor, we couldn't afford to get a doctor. We tried to cure mom with household methods, but it only got worse. Dad decided to put everything on one card and started pulling favors. He managed to get to town and get a doctor. The man diagnosed acute pneumonia. Mom was already beyond saving. He said we should already get the _batiushka_ for a last sacrament… Two days later, mother died."

Kola felt that Aya grabbed him tighter, and that his neck got wet.

"You don't have to cry, Aya. I cried for a week… I overcame the sadness, but I still carry the feelings of my mother in my heart."

He heard a silent sob and a snort behind him.

"Oh come on, Aya, get a tissue or something…"

Kola laid down the soldering iron and turned around to Aya.

"You look sorry…" he said with a soft voice and wiped the tears of her face with his fingers. "I'll tell you more about my stepfather later, since I don't want you to drown me, heh…"

"Did… Did… Did he…" her lower lip started to tremble.

"Ssssshhh…" now Kola hugged her in turn. "I told you not to cry…"

"I… I'll go now…"

"Bad idea."

"W-Why?"

"If your blonde friend sees that you were crying, and if she adds to that that you were here, she'll probably kill me with her bare hands."

"Oh… Whoops…"

"Here, it's clean," Kola said while pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket.

Aya took it, and blew her nose so hard that his ears almost hurt.

"Damn, girl… You could herd sheep with that call, hahahaha!"

"Heehee…"

Aya looked closer at the hanky. It was made of pure cotton, and it had a red monogram sewn in one of the corners.

"ОАР?"

"Maybe the previous owner of it, dunno. Got it from my father, said he found it."

"Ah…"

"You're really smart, Aya."

"W-Well… I have a high IQ and stuff… Not t-to b-boast or anything…"

"How high is high?"

"Hundred ninety…"

" _Godpodin_ … I sure do have a smart girlfriend, heheh…"

"Heehee…."

"Now, lay down on the bed, calm down, and I'll tell you when your face returns to normal."

"Kay."

Just two minutes after she laid down, the door opened suddenly, and Sieglinde peeked inside.

"I don't know what they taught you in Karlsland, but here in Orussia, we knock. Especially if one is of the opposite sex."

"Everything okay, Aya?" Sieglinde asked, totally ignoring Kola.

"Sigi, out. You're behaving rudely toward Kola."

"Did… Did you cry?! What the hell?!"

Siegline made a mad step inside the room, but Aya yelled, "OUT!"

"Bu-Bu-But…"

"Stop getting between me and Kola! I've had enough of your childish behavior! You either apologize to Kola right now, or I'm asking the commander for a separate room!"

"Eeek! I mean… God damn it! Aya, what got into you?!"

"No, Sigi, what got into you? If you have a beef with Kola, just state your arguments right now. Come on," a few seconds passed in awkward silence and Aya said, "As I thought."

Sieglinde slowly approached Kola and extended out her hand. Kola grabbed it and after a second he said, "You've got a very firm grip, almost like man."

"Th-Thanks… And… Sorry for barging in…"

"Yeah, shit happens. Want to know how I made Aya cry?"

"Kinda…" she answered indifferently.

"Aya, you might plug your ears just for to be sure."

"Heh… I don't want to cry again," Aya smiled and plugged her ears.

A bit later, Kola waved to her and she unplugged her ears.

"I'm sorry again…" Sieglinde mumbled. "That really would make Aya cry… Kinda moved me too… Err… Aya, are you coming with me?"

"Sure, why not. Till supper, Kola!"

"Till then."

Aya jumped of the bed and ran past Sieglinde into the corridor. The latter looked at Kola and said, "This is not over yet."

"It is," Kola said, not interrupting his work. "Ask her yourself."

Sieglinde silently exited the room, not slamming the door as could be expected.

"Wagh!" she jumped up, as Aya's face came up to her unexpectedly close.

The black haired Karslander puffed her cheeks and turned around, slowly marching down the corridor.

 _"_ _She's mad at me… She's mad at me like never… But… But she doesn't know my true feelings… And maybe she's right… I'm behaving like a spoiled brat, trying to cry a new toy out of my parents… I have to disarm this situation, because each step I take could damage either Aya or me… But not now… Now she's steaming mad at me… She won't listen… Later, yes… Later… I hope it won't be too late…"_

Sieglinde followed Aya in a few meter distance, and they finally wound up in the bedroom.

"So, by the looks of it, nobody died," Shinobu said.

"No, but I'm not talking to _that_ person," Aya pointed out to Sieglinde. "At least not today."

 _"_ _T-That person… She's so mad at me… The last she was so mad at me was still in military academy…"_

"Hoooo… Nice fallout! Come on, Sieglinde; hang out with us, since you're now a leper in Aya's eyes."

"No thanks… I'll just lie down and think some things through."

"Whatever works… Remember you have more friends around here than you think. Isn't that right, Nami?"

"Bah, 'course she has!"

Sieglinde could only muster a barely visible smile as she strolled to her bunk and laid down, looking absent minded into the white painted ceiling above her.

"See, I told you," Angela whispered to Shinobu.

"So she does have feelings after all, heh…"

"Please don't get the wrong idea of Sieglinde. She's slow to warm up to people, because she's afraid of rejection."

"I understand perfectly well."

"Oh right… You reminded me of something."

"What's that?"

"Nothing, for now. Now excuse me, I have to kill the time till supper somehow."

"I wish we had cards or something…" Elsa mumbled.

Elwyn raised her head from her pillow and asked, "Cards?"

"Yeah, cards."

The Liberian grinned, and after her, Elsa's face warped into a roguish smile. Elwyn dove under her bunk and pulled out her bag. In a swift movement, she pulled out not one, but two almost new decks of cards.

"Our Savior!" Elsa dropped down on her knees in a theatrical manner, with her hands raised up to the ceiling.

"I hope you're not planning on gambling here?" Angela asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Depends who's asking."

"Dorm mother?" the Karlslander turned towards Shinobu.

"What? Even I played for hundred yen coins back home," she shrugged. "But never for higher sums."

"You you're basically allowing low-sum gambling, right?"

"Yup. Anything against it?"

"Prepare to lose."

"Hah, you'll be weeping tears the size of my fist by the time I end with you!"

"Bring it on!"

"Oh, can I play too?" Elizabeth waved her hand vigorously.

"Sure you can!" Elwyn cheered.

 **A few hours later**

"Hey, Elwyn, Lily, KP time!" Katie barged in cheerfully into the bedroom. "Whoa, a card den!"

Elwyn and Elizabeth turned around to Katie with tears in their eyes, and it total sync they moaned, "Help uuuuuuus…"

"Heheheheh… I can't help you if you're playing bad. Now let's see…"

Katie approached the girls at their makeshift card table, made out of four nightstands. The two crying only had a few coins on their sides, but Angela and Shinobu both had mountains of spare change.

"Jesus Christ Almighty! Lily, what the hell?! I taught you how to play cards like a pro, and now you disappoint me?!"

"Um… Accident, Cousin…"

"Whoops, pardon… I guess that one didn't return to you… But you also suck big time, Elwyn."

"Not my fault! These two sassafras's are playing like they invented the damn game!"

"How much?" Katie pointed to the money.

"Five dollars and twenty cents plus three pounds fifty five shilling and two mark twenty five pfennig here," Shinobu said proudly. "Not counting half of what I started with myself."

"Not counting the money I started with with, I got six dollars sixty, two pounds fifty and five hundred yen," Angela said while throwing a sixpence up and down in her hand.

"Nice. But I'm taking the two with me now, kay?"

"Sure thing ma'am," Shinobu said.

The three left the room, and Angela asked, "Are we continuing, or for the sake of our still unspoken friendship should we stop?"

"Unspoken friendship, huh? Yes, we should stop, or we'll be playing till Sunday."

"I must say, you are a very good player."

"And vice versa," Shinobu smiled. "Now where the hell will I pocket all this change?"

"Spare socks?"

"Bingo!"

 **Corridor**

"Katie, did I really play cards as good as you said I did?"

"Out of the ninety-nine games we played, you've won sixty flat."

"Hot damn!" Elwyn shouted.

"Ninety-nine?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah. Our parents interrupted our hundredth, and banned us from playing until we're at least in junior high…"

"Really? I totally don't…" Elizabeth suddenly grabbed hold of her head and bent herself in half.

"Lily! Are you okay?!"

"Y-Yes… Uuuuugh… My heeeaaad…"

"I'll get you some meds, stay here!"

"No… No… I'm remembering something… I… Heh… No wonder you were losing so many times… Your bluffs were total rubbish, heheh…"

"Pfff… True, they weren't top notch but… Hey, you remembered! Wow!"

"Hurts like bloody hell, but it's worth it…" Elizabeth winced.

"Everything really okay?" Elwyn asked truly concerned.

"Yes, yes… Just give me a minute…" Elizabeth sat on the floor. "Whew… Say, Cousin?"

"Yes?"

"Could you answer me some questions about my past?"

"I would greatly do so but… you already had a headache today."

"Oh… Right… Then I'll ask you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure thing, Lily."

 **Later that day**

 **Dining room**

When Aya entered the room, she kept her distance towards Sieglinde at all times. She manifestly sat beside Kola, and grabbed his right arm tightly.

"This is cute, unexpected, and worrying at the same time," Kola said.

"Hmm? Can't I hug my dear boyfriend?"

"Of course you can, Sweetie. But knowing you, you should be lighting up like a landing beacon just thinking about me."

"Oh… Well…" Aya indeed started reddening up.

"Ah, that's what I mean!" Kola laughed.

When most of the girls stopped looking, he whispered, "Is it about your friend?"

"Mhm…"

"Don't drag this out unnecessarily."

"Mkay…"

"You can let go if you want."

"N-No… I'll be a brave girl and hold on longer, heehee…"

"Hey, lovebirds!" Katie shouted so suddenly that Aya jumped up. "Get your grub or I'll send it flying towards ya!"

"I-I-Immediately!" Aya cried and ran towards the counter.

Kola could only hear the resigned sighs of Angela and Shinobu when he looked after his girlfriend.

While supper was being eaten, Ellie leaned over to Aya and asked, "Why is your friend so sullen suddenly? I know she's not the cheerful type but…"

"It's s-sort of my fault, ma'am…"

"Then fix it. She's a valuable combat asset, and it would be a shame not to use her."

To that, Aya furled her eyebrows and looked at Ellie angrily.

"Don't give me that look, Missy. As the commander, I have to see you all as soldiers first, then as normal girls."

"Ah… S-Sorry…"

"Just clear up your differences ASAP, okay?" she asked softly.

"Mhm…" Aya nodded and returned to eating.

 _"_ _Wait, why am_ I _being treated as the bad guy here? Is it because Sigi looks so miserable or… Oh… I get it… They think I should be the first to step forward… Oh well, I'll see tomorrow. A good night's sleep with a heavy conscience will be something new for Sigi."_

After supper, Aya was approached by Kola before she exited the dining hall.

"So… Good night?"

"Ah, g-g-good night, Kola! T-This is something new for me…"

"Same here, heh… Sleep tight."

"Y-You too!"

"Good night everyone, it was another fine day," Ellie said.

"Good night!" the girls responded cheerfully, with one obvious blond haired exception.

Soon after, the night flight team went on duty, and the rest went to sleep.

With some exceptions.

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	21. Chapter 21 – You're (not) old!

Chapter 21 – You're (not) old!

* * *

 **2204 MSK**

 **50 kilometers north of Lebyazhye**

 **5500 ASL**

"So, Aina?"

"Yes, Tanya?"

"I got word that it's a bad idea to wake you up with water…"

"Tell your little spy that she should stick her nose in her own business," Aina huffed.

"Sorry… I just wanted an explanation."

Aina sighed deeply and said, "I guess I owe you one, since you were probably the only one, besides Aya, that didn't hear it… But opposed to them, you'll get the full story, not just the short synopsis. It was in March 20, 1974, my brother's tenth birthday…"

 **March 20, 1974**

 **Lake Bodom, Suomus**

"Eric, Eric, catch me!" a blond haired girl in a folk outfit cheered and ran away.

"Come back, stupid sis!" the blonde hair boy, also in a folk outfit, shouted and ran after her.

"Be careful kids!" a blonde haired woman shouted after them.

"Leave them be, their just kids," a blonde haired man smiled and looked as his two offspring ran off into the forest. "To think that our little son is ten already…"

"Yes… Time sure flies fast… And in two months, Aina will be eight!"

Aina was running through the forest. It was a really warm beginning of spring, and the above-zero temperature was slowly melting the snow away. She looked behind, and saw that her older brother was slowly closing in on her.

"Come on, Eric! Faster! A girl's outrunning you, haha!"

"Don't run so fast! The ice on the lake in front of you is thin!"

"Whaaaaat?"

"I said the ice is thin!"

"I can't hear you, haha!"

The little Aina ran forward, and soon, she was at least a hundred meters offshore, running on ice. Suddenly, she heard an ominous crack.

"Eric?" Aina asked petrified from fear. "Eric, where are you?"

She slowly turned around, with the cracks intensifying with each degree.

"Aina, don't move!" Eric shouted.

But her children's mind couldn't slow down her body in time, and when Eric finally came into view, running towards her from the frozen shore, the ice under her gave up.

She wanted to shout " _Veli, apua_ (Brother, help)!" but her lungs wouldn't cooperate. The intense cold started enveloping her body and soon she found herself underwater. Nobody taught Aina how to swim, and fear paralyzed her, so she started sinking like a rock.

 _"_ _Mom… Dad… Eric… Will I die now? Will you be sad now? I don't want to…"_

Her lungs started to hurt because of the held breath, and the cold sapped all her strength. Her vision started darkening, and she finally exhaled. The sub-zero water forced its way into her nose and mouth, and when only a speck of light was in her view, she saw something diving towards her. Then, she finally gave up.

 **Present day**

"I woke up in the hospital in Espoo," Aina continued with a lifeless voice. "Mother started crying when she saw me wake up. Dad told me Eric died while rescuing me, so now I was crying too. After I was released from the hospital, it occurred to me that I got a phobia of being sprayed with cold water all of a sudden. A few years later, Dad told me that the doctor doing the autopsy said Eric died because he got multiple cramps after fishing me out of the water. And it only happened because I was such an airhead and ran onto thawing ice…" Aina looked over to Tatiana, and saw her crying like a rainstorm. "Oh my…"

"It's okay, it's okay… I… This is probably the saddest thing I've heard in my life…" Tatiana sobbed and wiped her tears off with her sleeves.

"And normally you're almost as cold as that water in Lake Bodom…"

"It's because…"

 _"_ _Snap out of it, you idiot! A sad story and you're almost revealing yourself before her! But… Damn, it was really sad… No, not now!"_

"Well… I had a hard childhood, so…"

"Ah, you're not showing emotions because stuff?" Aina asked.

"More or less…"

"Maybe you'll tell me about it one day?"

"It would be fair, right?"

"Heh, it would."

"Maybe one day…" Tatiana lied with a straight face. "Come on, let's focus on patrolling."

"Indeed, comrade."

"Hey, that's my shtick!"

"Hahahaha!"

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Bedroom**

A figure moved in the darkness. It jumped down stealthily from an upper bunk like a cat, and moved towards the lower bunk of the neighboring bed. The figure lifted the blanket, and slid under it, placing herself beside the one currently occupying the bed.

"Mmmm… Who…"

"I-It's me..." the figure whispered.

"Sigi… I told you…" Aya mumbled half-asleep.

"Please, I need you to listen."

"Mmmm… Okay, but make it quick… I want to sleeeeeep..." Aya yawned.

"It's about… Well… Aya… I… I love you…"

"I know, Sigi."

"But I mean really love, like you know, spend all life with you love."

"I know."

"T-Then w-why him? Why?"

"You see, Sigi… I never told this to anyone, but I have dreams. I want to be a doctor, but I also want to have my own house, have a bunch of children, and a man who would support me and love me till the end… I respect your feelings towards me, bah, I'm proud I can be the object of your affection, but you can't give me what I dream of. I'm sorry, Sigi…"

"I… I see… I could give you the warmth of a family, but children… Impossible… And damn, the social ostracism… You're right…" she sighed. "I ran a fool's errand from the beginning, and on top of that, I jealously tried to fend off the first boyfriend in your life… Like some kind of spoiled brat…" Sieglinde sighed again. "But… Aya…. I have one request…"

"What?"

"I want a kiss… Let us kiss and I'll step down."

"Hmmm… I already kissed with Kola, so that wouldn't be my first… But it still feels a bit wrong…"

"I practiced a bit with Nami back then…" Sieglinde mumbled.

"Yes, you did…" Aya mumbled. "But do you promise not to be a stick in the mud?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Well… D-Do your worst…"

Sieglinde, shaking from excitement, straddled over Aya. She moved her right hand under Aya's head, and with her left, she moved the strands of hair from her face. Sieglinde slowly lowered her head, and with a heart pounding like an angry cat in a cage, she kissed Aya. At first a bit unresponsive, Aya responded, shyly and slowly, but she gained momentum. After a few groans and moans from both sides, Sieglinde finally stopped. Both were breathing heavily.

"I should go…" Sieglinde said.

Suddenly, Aya pulled her down and she landed on the bed by her side.

"You can always sleep with me."

"Oh!" Sieglinde grabbed Aya like a sack of potatoes.

"We may never both escalate to the level of lovers, but we still are best friends, right? You're still my Sigi, who will protect me from the whole world and then some?"

"Of course, Aya…" Sieglinde said with a uneasy voice and tucked herself into Aya.

"Oh Sigi… Just don't cry… It's unbecoming of you…"

"But I'm happy… I'm so happy this got cleared up once and for all… Now I feel like I can breathe freely."

"Heehee… For now, I would appreciate if you started sleeping, freely or not."

"Okay, right. We have a busy day tomorrow. Good night, Aya."

"Good night, Sigi."

"Good night, you two," Angela's voice was heard from the left.

"W-W… You heard everything…?" Sieglinde muttered in shock.

"It's my duty, as the sanest in the unit, heh… Damn you got me wet with that lesbo kissing of yours… But leaving that aside, it's nice that you finally manned up, Sieglinde. Good job."

"Thanks…"

"Now really, no more horseplay, sleepy time for the both of you."

"Yeah… Night, Angela."

"Night, Angela." Aya cheered quietly and giggled.

Sieglinde re-tucked herself into Aya, and after both held their arms, they fell asleep in sync.

 **January 20, 1983**

 **0630 MSK**

 **Commander's bedroom**

Ellie woke up without the assist of her alarm clock, which wasn't even programmed to go off anyway. She opened her eyes slowly and sat on her bed. It was still dark, but not enough for her trained eyes to not see Katie smirking at her.

"I got up first today, ha!"

"Congratulations, heehee… Eager about today's event?"

"Not at much as Aya probably is, but yeah, it will surely be a change of pace."

"I just hope the Neuroi will respect this little soiree…"

"We can hope for the best, but the buggers sure do like to be on a daily schedule it seems…" Katie sighed. "And I do wonder if Aya has something in store for Kola…"

"If anything, it's probably not something tangible… Unless…"

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I wouldn't bet my arm on it but… It's a possibility."

Katie suddenly went suspiciously silent.

"Oh riiiiiiight… I believe you owe me something, dear Katherine?"

"I'll respond you with a joke I heard… Mój portfel jest jak filozofia Karlslandzka – stoi Kantem I Nietzschem."

"Hahaha! Oh Katie… Whatever, we're making enough money from our pays anyway."

"So you won't be sending loan sharks after me?"

"Heh, of course not. I'll just call in a favor, that's all."

"Ugh, then maybe I'll just borrow the money from our card sharpers…" Katie mumbled sourly.

"Hahaha! Maybe I should also play a game with them?"

"It would truly be a clash of titans! Go for it!"

"One day for sure. Who knows, maybe even today… But for now, let's move our butts off our beds and get ready for the day."

"Onwards!"

 **0720 MSK**

 **Bedroom**

Shinobu stood before the bed in which Sieglinde and Aya were sleeping soundly.

"They look sweet," she stated with a smile on her face.

"Yeah… Sieglinde's more… childish side rarely shows," Angela said. "Say…"

"Hmm?"

"We're kinda spending time together… We have a common friend…"

"Just don't tell me you love me!"

"Ah, so you've heard what happened last night?"

"Of course. A samurai is always vigilant."

"Figures. So anyway, no, I don't love you. But we could… Oh take a hint!"

Shinobu shook her head, sighed, and moved her hand forward.

"We're lacking some schnapps to cement it, but I guess there's a chance we can do it properly later today, right?" Shinobu asked.

"I see Aya taught you well," Angela replied and shook Shinobu's hand.

The two heard a giggle from the side and their hands quickly wandered behind their backs. They quickly traced the source of the sound to Aya, looking at the two with a sleepy smile.

"Shit, don't scare us like that…" Shinobu mumbled whilst trying to murder Aya with her eyes.

"Eheheh…"

Sieglinde stretched herself on Aya's side and flipped herself on the back. When she opened her eyes and saw the two standing in front of her, with a bored voice she said, "I guess you heard it, Shinobu?"

"I won't lie, I did."

"And?"

"Apart from the small shock value, I'm proud to have a friend that's such brave and honest."

The relative darkness masked the blush on Sieglinde's face, but the unexpected hug by Aya almost made her glow.

"Wh-Wh-What?"

"I'm also proud of you, Sigi, heehee… Not everyone would do what you did."

"O-Oh come on… I don't know how to react…" Sieglinde squirmed around.

"Hey, maybe I could praise you too?" Angela asked in a jesting manner.

"Hell no! No! Nope! I won't take more praise!"

"I don't know what the hell is going on, but you guys seems to get along like best buds," Elwyn's voice sounded suddenly.

She straightened herself up on her bed, took her glasses from the nightstand, and after putting them on, she said, "Morning you all."

After a round for more or less polite answers, Elwyn sighed, "And I still have KP duty today. Praise the Lord for my rage fit…"

"Oh, it's only three times, you'll manage, Liberion," Angela said en passant.

"For fucks sake, not you too! Either Clarke or Elwyn, pick one. Hell, you can even call me Francine!"

"Yeah, yeah. Calm down, or you'll wake up the our night patrollers. And besides, it seems you're doing well in the kitchen, so I won't complain if you extend your stay there."

"Whatevs. So anywho, why are Goldilocks and Aya in one bed again?"

"Aya felt cold in the night," Sieglinde lied swiftly.

"No, no. You don't have to lie, Sigi. I'll just say that… hmmm… Sigi had a change of heart. That should do it."

"Change of heart, huh? So she turned into Giulietta van Dyke here?" Elwyn smirked and poked Giulietta's matrass from below.

"I'm awake, I'm awake…" the Romagnan mumbled. "Or maybe not…"

"Ugh… Fine, I'll tell you. I'm bi," Sieglinde rolled her eyes.

"Hoooooo… Now this is veeeery interesting… Damn, now I have to watch under the showers, or I may get myself violated, heheheh…"

"Violateeeed… Whooo… Whaaaa…" Giulietta mumbled half-asleep. "Tiiiiiits…"

"Well, at least she knows what she wants," Elwyn sighed. "Now pardon me, ladies, but I have to move my non-virgin ass over to the kitchen."

"There you go boasting again…" Shinobu shook her head. "Why don't you fill us in how you got boned, huh?"

"Hmm… Later. Maybe today if I'm in a good mood."

"How about a game of cards then?" Angela smiled wryly.

"I'd rather get groped until my tits go blue by you-know-who."

"You called?" Giulietta leaned over from her top bunk while making grabby movements with her hands.

"Oh would you look at how awake you are? How about helping me in kitchen then?"

The boob devil disappeared under her blanket as fast as she appeared. After Elwyn pulled off her sleeping t-shirt, she stopped her routine to look at the four looking at her right now.

"What?"

"Don't those hurt in high speed maneuvers?" Shinobu asked.

"You don't have small tits yourself," Elwyn replied calmly. "Believe me, when you have a rack this big, you have to learn to control the force vectors affecting your body…"

"Now that you're saying it..." Angela pondered. "Your flight was really fluid and smooth from what I could observe. But doesn't that impact your agility?"

"If a sharp turn or sudden dodge has to be made, it will be made. My tits will sting afterwards, but better that than getting a new one ripped, right? And for fucks sake, Giulietta!" Elwyn turned around so fast that only Aya noticed it. "Stop eyeing me!"

"Wah!" the Romagnan shouted and returned onto her bunk yet another time.

Elwyn looked towards the bed, which was occupied by Marie and Elizabeth, and she saw movement on the upper bunk.

 _"_ _I may be saved!"_

She quickly ran over to Elizabeth.

" _Dio Mio_ …" Giulietta mumbled dryly to herself, seeing gravity and momentum doing God's work with Elwyn's breasts.

"Oh… Elwyn?" the Brit asked.

"Liz, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Are you perhaps thinking about doing some more KP duty?"

"Mmmm… Heheh, growing fond of me?"

"I would lie if I said I didn't…" Elwyn scratched her head. "So…"

"I was going to do it anyway. I'm starting to like my cousin, and she also seems to be the key to my memories. And from her side, she'll also get to spend time with her beloved cousin, so it's a win-win situation, heehee…"

"Woah, thanks a million! I'll go dress myself! You hurry up to, cuz I don't want to get dragged out of here in my socks!"

"Two minutes, and I'm ready to battle potatoes, porridge, and sausages," Elizabeth smiled.

"Our unit seems to starting to develop some internal camaraderie," Angela noted.

"Case and point," Shinobu looked at Angela.

"We're all going to be a bunch of friends," Aya grinned. "Just like our grandparents were. All different, but united with one goal…"

"But what's _our_ goal here?" Sieglinde asked. "I mean, sure, protecting the people around. But the commies might as well use their own ilk, right? Why the hell bring all of us, from all around the globe?"

"And in such a weird configuration, I might add," Angela said. "We're all granddaughters of the 501st's members, with the exception of Nami and our commanders, but they were also related with that unit. We really have to get to the bottom of this."

"You think the commander will tell us anything?" Shinobu asked.

"Doesn't hurt to ask, does it? Aya, you will do it."

"W-Why me?"

"Because you are cute, innocent, and the commander seems to treat you a bit better."

"But the commander treats us all good…"

"Trust me."

"Okay…"

"I hope you'll be okay, Aya, cuz I too want to know what the hell is going on," Elwyn said while buttoning up her uniform. "My unit in Liberion was nice and cozy, damn it! And the winter was mild this year, not this shit freezer! Ugh…" she sighed. "Not to mention all the commodities… What have I done to deserve this…"

Before anyone could answer, Elwyn heard the door opening quietly. When she turned around, she saw Katie peering inside of the room.

"Psst, Elwyn, c'mon."

The Liberian fastened the last button of her uniform and started putting on her boots.

"Hey, Elwyn, it's not that bad. We have three meals a day and warm beds," Giulietta said from her bunk.

"Just like in prison."

"Girl, you sure are sarcastic…"

"A hard realist, my dear boob devil. Now, say my knockers good bye, I'm going to do my serfdom."

"Bye, Elwyn's knockers," Giulietta giggled, making Aya giggle too.

Elwyn came up to Katie, and the latter immediately asked, "Lily is going too?"

"Yup. Surprising?"

"A bit. But she was always a kind and helpful girl, and that didn't change. Come out to the corridor."

A minute later, Elizabeth joined the two, and they all wandered to the kitchen together.

 **Five minutes later**

"Um… Katie…?" Elizabeth asked shyly.

"What is it, Lily?"

"I have a question on a topic that came up yesterday…"

"Did I participate in the discussion?"

"No, no…"

"Fire away then."

"Heh, fire… Well, it's about that exactly…"

"Fire? Oh… I think I know what you're trying to ask about. But please, voice your query."

"I want to know something about my pyrokinetic abilities."

"Bull's-eye. Are you comfortable with Elwyn listening?"

"I have no problem with Elwyn," she smiled towards her buxom friend, earning a smile in return.

"Then look closely," Katie said and stood up.

She walked up to the stove and opened the gas valve on the first burner. Since it didn't have an automatic lighter, the fire wasn't on yet. Her familiars' ears popped up, and Katie put her hand above the burner. After a brief flash of orange, the propane-butane mix ignited itself. She turned off the burner, as to conserve their reserves.

"So you have it," Elwyn concluded. "What about Liz?"

"At birth, powerful witches sealed off our pyrokinetic powers, so there wouldn't be such an accident like with our grandmothers."

"Hmm?" Elwyn tilted her head, to which Katie raised an eyebrow. "Oh, please, I didn't mean to…"

"No, no… You have the right to know. Our grandmothers became orphans after they burned down their family home with their parents inside."

"Oh my…" Elwyn gasped.

"They wandered around Dover a bit, but then, Aya's grandfather found them, bought them candy, and told them about serving in the army if they ever shown some magic abilities. The next day, the two arrived in Folkestone, paying for the cab with their last money. The two were enlisted and later were sent to Romagna for training. From then on, they were known as the Fire Witches."

"Wow, Aya's gramps sure did a lot of good it seems…"

"But you just…" Elizabeth looked clueless at her cousin.

"Because this magic type was unsealed when I was enlisted."

"Oh. Figures…"

"But it's your lucky day, cousin! I can easily unseal that power of yours!"

"R-Really? Just like that?"

"Yup, just like that. It can be a bit… heated… but you will be able to use your fire magic."

"But… Will I be able to control it?"

"How good do you control the magic you inherited from the Bishop branch of your family?"

"Good. Very good even," Elizabeth replied confidently.

"Then it shouldn't be a problem, really. In my case, as a precaution I had to sleep under a fire detector for the first week. And, by chance, I have one with me."

"Did… Did it go off?"

"Actually… No. Not even once I have used my powers in my sleep. Do you have nightmares or anything like that? Somnambulism?"

"Wha?" Elwyn asked.

"Sleep walking," Elizabeth answered. "No, my sleep is perfectly fine."

"Then I see no actual contraindications as not to unleash that flame inside you. What do you say… between dinner and supper?"

"Why then of all times?"

"Today's… special…" Katie rolled her eyes back and forth.

"Come on, tell us!" Elizabeth cheered.

"Tell us! Tell us!" Elwyn joined in, jumping up and down.

"I suppose I'll need the two of you in the kitchen… Okay, my dear aides. Today is Kola's birthday, and Ellie decided to throw a party. The Karlslanders and Fusojins are helping too."

The two made sturgeon faces, nodded, and muttered, "Not bad" in sync.

"Wait, does that mean there's cake?!" Elwyn shouted with eyes sparkling.

"Of course. And you two will help me!"

"Booo!" the two responded immediately.

"Hey, no work, no cake, you ungrateful gits!"

"Yes, yes, Cousin. But first we have to make breakfast, right?"

"Ah, shit! We've lollygagged enough, back to work double time!"

"Yes ma'am!" the girls laughed.

 **0745 MSK**

 **Bedroom**

Aya was dressed up and ready and she had a plan so cunning, that if one stuck a tail to it, it could be called a fox.

"Um, girls, I have to go to the restroom…"

"Sure, just wash your hands," Sieglinde said.

"Oh Sigi, come on… I'm not five…" Aya puffed her cheeks and went off towards the door.

After it closed behind her, she giggled at her own ingenuity.

 _"_ _I feel a bit bad for lying like that, but I guess Sieglinde would still frown if I outright said I was attempting to do what I want to do now."_

She pranced off not to the toilet, but to the door of a certain other room. However, it so happened to be that that door was near the door to the commander's office, which now opened. Aya stood in place paralyzed as Ellie looked at her.

"Oh, Aya? What do you want of me in this early hour?"

"Ma'am… Um… Well…" she shyly pointed out to her destination.

Ellie followed where the finger pointed with her eyes, and she said, "I see… Well, I'm going to the girls room, have a nice… visit," she smiled wryly and passed Aya, giving her a nudge on her left arm. Aya turned around, but she could only see the back of Ellie walking down the corridor silently.

 _"_ _Was that… A friendly nudge? Like, is she cheering me on or something? Unexpeeeecteeeed…"_

Aya shrugged and went to the door of her destination. She knocked on it almost silently, and the inhabitant of the room answered, "Come in, Aya."

 _"_ _W-How?!"_

She quickly opened the door, jumped inside, and closed it behind her.

"H-How did you know?!" she asked Kola, who was sitting on the edge of his bed, pulling on his sweater.

"You're the only one that's been visiting me lately, and the only one to actually knock beforehand. So I took a wild guess and who would've thought, I guessed correctly!" Kola laughed briefly.

"Oh you… Well, I… I just wanted to say good morning…"

"Before anyone else could?"

"Heh, yes…"

"My, my… I have a slightly possessive girlfriend… Speaking of which, how is it with your overly possessive friend?"

"Ah, Sigi is… Oh, wait, maybe you'll see the results at breakfast, okay?"

"Sure thing, Aya."

"Ooo-oo-ooohh…" Aya shuddered briefly.

"What the hell was that?" Kola asked with a distrustful look.

"Oh… Errr… When you said m-my name… It f-felt good…"

"But you don't shake in ecstasy when your friends call you by your name, right?"

Aya just looked down with a red face.

Kola sighed and said, "It seems that you're experiencing your first boyfriend a bit more intensively than I'm experiencing my first girlfriend. Maybe it's just because I'm such an old fart…"

"C-Come on… You're not that old… Are you?"

"Nineteen."

"I see… We're not that far apart then! I'm going legal in September, heehee… Say, when's your birthday?"

"And why do you need to know that, hmmm?" Kola played coy.

"Ah, well… Maybe I would have a present for you…" Aya joined his game with a flirtatious tone.

"Heheheh… Well, I doubt you have anything handy, because my birthday is today," Kola said just like that.

"Today! Oh Kola, happy birthday!" Aya jumped forward and hugged him. "But… I don't have anything handy… Really…"

"Maybe you do, hmm?"

"Are you thinking something indecent?"

"I'll give you a hint – we did that already."

"Oooooh… Well now, maybe I'll put you on hold with that," Aya said. "Or not," she added and gave him a quick peck on the cheek and giggled.

"You're starting to make sense, but I still don't hear you clearly."

"Heehee… Oh you impatient boyfriend you… I promise I'll make out with you till our lips go numb, okay? Just give me some time."

"If you won't force yourself, I agree."

 _"_ _Is it me, or is he being more a virgin than I am? Or is he just considerate? Or is he afraid of my_ background _? Hmm…"_

"Oh come on, Kola," she teased him. "Be a man."

"If I were a _man_ as you imply, I would have troubles containing myself right now. You know, we're alone in this room. I might as well take advantage of you, what do you say?"

"Um… Advantage?"

"Do I really have to spell it out?"

"Well… Yes?"

"Ugh… I'll demonstrate, just don't panic."

"Wh…"

Aya suddenly fell flat on her back and Kola forced himself on top of her.

"Now do you know what I'm talking about?"

"P-P-P-please no… I-It's t-t-too soon…" Aya whimpered.

" _Gospodin_ …" he sighed. "I told you I'm only demonstrating, right?"

"Oh… R-Right… B-But I wan't t-thinking clearly now…"

Kola got off her, and Aya stood up on her own two legs.

"So, what's the moral of this show?"

"Erm… I should thank God I have such an easygoing and considerate boyfriend?" Aya said while trying to hold in her laughter.

"Why you…" Kola's arms shot forward and he started tickling Aya under her armpits.

"Gwahahahahahaha!" she burst out into honest laughter. "Hahahastophahahaha! Hahahaittickleshahahaha!"

"It's supposed to tickle, mwahahahaha!" Kola released a laughter like a third rate villain from a B-movie.

After a few seconds, suddenly, the door opened and Ellie stood in the doorway with a smirk on her face.

"You two sure are having a good time."

"Wah!" Aya jumped away from Kola. "T-This is j-just innocent t-tickling ma'am!"

"I know what I see, don't worry. You have a nice laugh, Aya."

"T-Thank you ma'am…"

"You ruined it," Kola gave out an angry mumble towards Ellie.

"And what if Sieglinde came here for example?"

"Oh, don't worry, ma'am," Aya smiled.

"Ah, so it has been taken care of. Good job, Aya. But you should go already."

"Okay ma'am," Aya nodded. "See you in a few, Kola."

After Aya went off, Kola said, "Doors like to be knocked, Ellie."

"And I like dramatic entries. Sorry for interrupting you, but I just prevented you from going too far."

"Going too far… Who do you think I am?"

"The one man amongst a dozen of girls. I'm quite liberal, Kola, but please don't fail my trust, _ponial_ (understood)?"

"Yes, I understand. It's only Aya, and only under her explicit content. No means no, and yes means yes."

"I'm glad you have your libido under control," Ellie smiled. "Breakfast is in a few minutes, don't be late."

"I won't."

Ellie went out of the room and closed the door.

 _"_ _Libido she says…_ _One man amongst a dozen of girls she says… Just fuck you, you nosy spy!"_

* * *

 **Now about the joke, which is pretty much untranslatable, but explainable. The phrase Katie said, which is a tribute to the TEJ comedy group, literally means "My wallet is like Karlslander philosophy – it stands on Kant and Nietzsche". Now what the hell is fun about that? It's a word play. In Polish, "kant" means edge but also fraud. The instrumental case of the family name of the second famous philosopher sounds similar to the instrumental case of the word "nic" which literally means "nothing." So Katie's finances are on the verge of nothingness, to say it nicely.**

* * *

 **Obvious reference in title is obvious.**

 **The not so obvious reference with the fox is from Blackadder.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	22. Chapter 22 – Preparing for the party

Chapter 22 – Preparing for the party

* * *

 **Bedroom**

"You sure took your time, Aya," Angela noted.

"Oh… I kind of drowned in my thoughts, heh…" Aya laughed dryly. "We should slowly start wandering out, shouldn't we?"

"Yes, indeed," Shinobu butted in. "Everyone, you know the drill. Boots on, butts up, legs forward in an alternate motion. Chop chop, better to arrive five minutes earlier than five seconds too late."

"But the smells from the kitchen will make my mouth water…" Giulietta mumbled.

"Then ask for some bread crust to chew on," Marie said. "That's what I always do."

"Never thought of that… I usually chomp a sweet or two if I'm hungry and it's still some time till a scheduled meal…" Giulietta said with a bored voice, but then her eyes opened wide. "Oh right!"

"No," Shinobu said with a firm voice. "You want to spoil the taste of the food that our vice-commander and the other two made for us with some five yen piece of candy?"

"Uh, yes?"

"Don't blame me if it tastes off."

Giulietta made an uneasy grimace and then she jumped off her bunk.

"Maybe not after all, their food really is tasty…" she mumbled. "Let's hurry!"

"Just what I said…" Shinobu sighed.

 **Few minutes later**

 **Dining room**

Sieglinde entered the room with the rest a bit hesitantly, because she saw Kola sitting at his place already. This didn't escape Aya's attention.

"Sigi, you promised."

"Yeah… But… You know me…"

"Whatever you want to do, do it like you always do."

"Swift and merciless?"

"Uhum."

"Okay… Here I go…"

Sieglinde rushed toward Kola, and as he noticed it, he crossed his arms and laid back on his chair.

"So what is it today? Will you outright murder me now?"

With an utterly sour face, Sieglinde extended her hands towards Kola and mumbled, "I'm sorry…"

Kola raised his brow and asked, "Am I hearing things right now? Could you speak up, my ears are probably clogged."

"I said I'm sorry. I promise I won't behave so childish anymore. But if you really do harm Aya, I will rip your head off."

"Sigi…"

"No, Aya, it's okay," Kola said and shook Sieglinde's hand. "I have to have some deterrent from harming you, right Aya?" Kola laughed under his nose. "So, can I call you by your name now?"

"Well… Why not actually..."

"I believe you Karlslanders have something called…"

"Speaking of which…" Angela interrupted. "Commander?"

"Yes?" Ellie asked.

"Do you perchance have some spirits so Shinobu and I could use to… umm… have a Bruderschaft?"

"But you are all underage, my Sweeties. Well, except for Kola."

Angela shot a disconcerted look towards Ellie, and the latter said, "But what the hell, a sip for tradition won't hurt anyone. Unless you can't hold your booze in."

"Ma'am, I believe you said we're underage…"

"And I'm not dumb as a bag of hammers," Ellie smiled wryly. "In the age of MTV, kids should be stopped called kids once they enter junior high. Now I am asking all of you – who hasn't tasted alcohol even once in their life. Don't be shy; this is just for statistical purposes."

What would probably make a parents face go white, nobody lifted a finger or said a syllable.

"A bit unexpected to be honest, but my point is, yes, I have some booze for such an occasion."

"Then maybe we too?" Kola asked while pointing out at Sieglinde.

"Hell no!" Sieglinde yelled. "I'm burying the hatchet, not outright going friendly with you!"

"Oh boo," Kola said with a faux pout.

"So, when will you want to do it?" Ellie asked Shinobu and Angela.

"At dinner," the two said in sync, looking surprised at each other afterwards.

"I see. Well, let's return to our original agenda, which is breakfast."

"Come and get it!" Katie yelled.

"Only a ringing triangle is what's missing…" Giulietta sighed.

 **After breakfast**

"Say, commander dearest, should I do _that_ thing now?" Kola asked.

"Postpone that till tomorrow, my dearest mechanic," Ellie replied sarcastically.

"Sure thing, it'll be prepared better."

"What will be?" Aya asked. "Oh, wait, I know."

"What is it? What is it?" Elsa asked cheerfully.

"A seeeecreeeet…" Aya answered trying to imitate a ghost.

"Always a secret, ehhh…" she sighed deeply. "But your secrets are always worth waiting to be unraveled, heehee…"

"Elizabeth?" Ellie looked at the Britannian.

"Yes ma'am?"

"I like that you're helping your cousin."

"Oh, well… I have my reasons."

"Nobody is hundred percent altruistic," the commander shrugged. "But whatever your reasons may be, it's nice to see some bonds forming between you all. And so fast! I see my commanding is going on perfectly, hahaha!" Ellie let out a soft laugh.

The girls around also followed suit, and even Kola joined the laugherade.

"Now," Ellie clapped her hands together. "Everyone should know what to do right now, or what not to do. This room is off limits to everyone except those I say can enter. And Katie of course."

The witches started wondering what's happening, but Katie said, "Everyone except my dear aides out. Sieglinde, you're on guard duty at the door."

"Yes ma'am," the Karlslander responded. "Shinobu, can you take over training for me?"

"Sure thing…" Shinobu paused for a second and smirked mischievously. "Sigi..."

"Oh shut up! Only Aya can call me that!"

"Heh. You heard the lady, let's go everyone. Half hour break for some good old digesting, and time to train. Whoever wants, of course, but I do insist that everyone trains NOW."

"Why now?" Marie asked. "Why not afternoon.

"Ah, you'll see yourself. Right now, you have to take the word of an officer of the Fuso Self Defense Force."

"If it's an officer's word, then I'll abide, heehee…"

"Might as well too," Giulietta shrugged. "Your words are intriguing me heavily."

"And I will retreat to my cave," Ellie smiled. "Remember to behave."

"Yes ma'am!" a choir of female voices responded.

The room was quickly emptied, with the exception of the two Liberians and one Britannian.

"So, what now?" Elwyn asked.

"Now, my dear friends, we prepare the food for the party. Starting with the most important item."

"Cake!" both Elwyn and Elizabeth cheered in accord.

"Hahaha! Cake is justice!"

"Half the base can hear them…" Sieglinde sighed as she was setting up a chair in the corridor before the dining room door. "But nobody will go past me, oh no…"

She sat on the chair, and looked at her friends and comrades going towards the common bedroom. To underline her _authority_ , she pulled out her P220 and laid it down on her lap.

 _"_ _Now nobody will even dare looking at the door, ha!"_

 **Half an hour later**

 **Gym**

"Okay, everyone!" Shinobu shouted. "Today will be a bit different than usual."

"Training's off?" Giulietta asked naively.

"Hell no! I'll just use a different program than Sieglinde uses, that's all. We'll see how they compare in your eyes, and then, maybe something good will come out of it."

"So you want to be better than the army?" Angela asked.

"Of course! The armies of the world just make cookie cutter training for the average witch. Are we by any chance average?"

"No, right?" Angela looked at Aya and Elsa.

"No!" the two cheered.

"Neither are the rest of you," Shinobu continued. "This is an experimental program of the FSDF, so please; don't blabber on about it to anyone," she winked. "Ah, my dear Grandma took part in developing it, so that should be enough recommendation."

The more oriented girls shuddered at Shinobu's words.

"Shino, you won't overdo it, right?" Aya asked.

"Of course not!" Shinobu replied with a fit on her face. "I already have a rough idea of each ones stamina, so don't worry, a bath will take away all of the accumulated fatigue. Now then, off we go!"

 **Two hours later**

 **Kitchen**

A spring-operated timer rang suddenly in the dead silence of the kitchen, making Elizabeth jump up slightly out of her chair.

"Easy, Lily, easy…" Katie calmed her cousin down as she approached the oven to shut it off. "Now let's see what this cake is worth…"

Her animal ears popped up and she pulled out the double-deck cake out of the oven with her bare hands, and set it atop of the counter. The two with her were a bit shocked at what they saw.

"Never saw that coming you two, huh? If you train with your magic, Lily, you'll be able to pull such a stunt off yourself."

"Sure must be handy you're in a hurry. But I suppose you don't have some kind of… cooling magic?"

"No, it has to cool down in a natural way, not assisted with a cooler or anything. Then we can put on the icing and all the shazam and put it in the cooler."

"Do we even have candles?" Elwyn asked suddenly.

"Don't you worry your tits off, Elwyn. We have much more than you think we have."

"I seeeee… But what do we do in the mean time?"

"Other dishes, duh! We still have a small mountain to cook, so chop chop!"

"You mean that sky high pot full of cabbage?" Elwyn asked a bit disconcerted.

"Bigos. I told you the name a hundred times!"

"Yeah, Bee Gees or whatever…"

"Oh, maybe I should go and give Sieglinde something? She's sitting there for two hours…" Elizabeth said with concern ringing in her voice.

"Hmm… I think Karlslanders like their sauerkraut… I'll give her a taste of my half-done bigos, so somebody else than us has some insight."

Katie took a plate and slapped a ladle of the cabbage-based dish, onto it, topping it off with a fork. She also filled a glass with water and gave both to Elizabeth.

"I'll take it," Elwyn said. "You have some time alone," she winked and scooted out of the kitchen.

"Now would you look at that… So, Lily, want to tell your dear cousin anything in private?"

"I think not… Not for now at least," Elizabeth smiled warmly.

 **Corridor**

Sieglinde heard that somebody was coming towards her from the inside of the dining room, so she shifted her view and looked at the door. When it opened, she saw Elwyn going out backwards.

"How's progress, Clarke?"

"Going fine. Here, Elizabeth thought you'd need a refreshment, since you're obviously working VERY hard here."

"The sarcasm literally evaporates from you…" Sieglinde sighed. "What's that?"

"Bee… something."

"Bee? Ah, that might be the famous Lehish bigos. Is that really for me?"

"Yeah, but it's half-done, so no complaining."

Sieglinde took the plate and grabbed a bite of the content.

"Hey, this is good! If this is half ready, then I'm eagerly awaiting the finished dish!"

"You sure like a good eat…"

"As a soldier of Karlsland, I have to take care of my body by supplying it with a steady stream of nutrients. And if it tastes good at the same time, why should I not praise it?"

"Pragmatic right down to the damn soles of your boots… Here, have some water."

"Ah, that's also for me? Hey, you don't need to hang out with me here. Go back inside."

"Pfff… And I would have to do two courses," Elwyn pouted and outright sat on the floor.

"Whatever…" Sieglinde sighed and proceeded to down what was left and topped it off with the remaining water. "Did you put a finger to this?"

"Sure. I cut up and fried the sausages."

"Yeah, they're sure well fried. Good job, Clarke."

"Don'tcha think we should iron out our rough friendship a bit, hmm? You seem to get along with some of us…"

"Those are… hmm… exceptions," Sieglinde said slightly uneasy.

"Yeah, yeah… That little club of Aya admiration…" Elwyn sighed. "But we don't have much in common, so this could fall flat anyway. I'm going back inside, need anything from us?"

"No, thanks, I'll manage. It's just sitting on my ass, right?" she smirked.

"Heh, point taken."

As Elwyn entered the dining hall, something sprouted up in her mind. She looked at the wall near the door, and spotted and outlet. Upon examining the door itself, she noticed that it has a two-centimeter high gap from the floor upwards.

 _"_ _This'll do it!"_

Elwyn quickly ran into the kitchen and shouted, "Gimme a few minutes!", and she ran out back into the hall itself.

"The fuck?" Katie asked baffled.

In the time Katie wondered what possessed Elwyn, she activated her Final Art, and that combined with the passive power up magic gave her, it enabled her to grab the table on which the TV was placed and run with it out into the corridor.

"What the flying fuck?!" Sieglinde shouted and almost fell off from her chair.

"This…" Elwyn took a deep breath. "This is for you."

"What? A TV? I don't need one," she said adamantly.

In reply, Elwyn simply pulled the extension cord inside and plugged it in.

"Really, I do NOT need to watch television; I have a damn job to do!"

"Nobody said chicken shit about NOT watching TV. Shut up, and enjoy," Elwyn pushed the glasses on her nose a bit back and turned on the device.

After a few adjustments, they both saw some kind of animal documentary movie with the ZDF logo superimposed in the upper-right corner.

"Have at it, Sieglinde. Now seriously, I have to go back."

"B-But…"

"I told you, have a blast. Don't be a goddamn uptight martinet," Elwyn said with a strong voice and returned inside the room.

 _"_ _But I'll lose my concentration… And… And TV is hypnotizing for me… And… Ooooooh… What a pretty lion! Weeeee!"_

"Admirable," Katie said. "Come on, let's get back into gear. Oh, what did she say about my bigos?"

"She can't wait for that thing to finish brewing."

"Success! To be honest, take five, we two will manage, right Lily?"

"We will. Water, Elwyn?"

"Please."

 **1200 MSK**

 **Gym**

Shinobu raised her wrist slightly, pressed the "Pulse" button on her Seiko S229-5010 watch firmly. The display changed, she placed her finger on a sensor, and after a few second of watching an animation of a beating heart, she saw her pulse rate. Seeing a satisfying value, and then the time, she shouted, "Everyone, training's over! Good job!"

Just everyone with the exception of Nami fell down on the floor simultaneously.

"We were gypped!" Elsa yelled.

"I… Feel… Like… Half… past death…" Giulietta managed to say between heavy breaths.

Somehow, Aya recovered more quickly than the others did and she managed to stand up.

"That was sure something, Shino. Special units of the Bundeswehr don't train so hard."

"Ah, thanks Aya. Now comes the best part – the after training bath. I can attest that once you soak in the hot bath, you'll all forget that you've trained."

"First you'll have to drag us there…" Elsa moaned.

"Then come on," Aya said and hoisted up her friend from the floor. "You too, Angela."

"Don't mind if I will…"

"You, Gallian. And… ugh, you too." she looked disgusted at Giulietta. "But do as much as graze my breasts, and I'll cut yours off!"

"I promise I won't touch them!" the Romagnan shouted terrified.

She took the two in a similar fashion as Aya did with the other two and said, "Nami, door please."

"On it!" the tall Fusojin cheered and ran to open the door. "Oh? This looks peculiar…"

"What?" Aya and Shinobu asked at the same time.

"Come on over, you'll see."

Curiously, the two trio's approached the door, and they saw Sieglinde looking at the tube in glee.

"The hell?" Shinobu asked.

"I don't know how this is possible, but Sieglinde is simply fascinated by television," Angela explained. "And if she sees some kind of animal cub there, she melts away."

"How cute," Marie said.

"Come on, nothing to see here. P-Please, let's not interrupt her," Aya said.

"As you wish, Aya," Shinobu said. "Come on, Nami, I see that you want to do something to Sieglinde, but not now."

"Baaaaawwww… Okay…" she sulked and opened the door to the bath.

 **Bedroom**

Tatiana opened her eyes, when she heard some whimpering and sniveling coming from the lower bunk. She peeked over down and saw Aina curled in a fetal position and crying her eyes out.

"Hey, Aina?" Tatiana asked carefully.

Aina gasped and immediately covered herself with her blanket.

 _"_ _What happened to her? Is it…? Yes, it can be because of that… I moved her memories a bit too much I think… Damn, I probably have to fix this, despite my grim secret… Ehhh… But I really like this girl… She's had her share of tragedy in life…"_

Tatiana dropped on the lower bunk, and with a calm voice she said, "Hey, Aina, come out. If you want to talk, I'm here."

The Suomi uncovered herself and looked at Tatiana with her big blue eyes full of tears.

"Come on, why are you crying? Nothing bad happened recently, right?"

"It's… It's always happening when I recall Eric…"

"Oh… It's my fault, right?"

"No, no! I decided to tell you…"

"Poor you… If you want to cry some more, you can do it while hugging me. Psychologists say it's good to cry."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, what the hell!"

Aina immediately clung to Tatiana and started wailing her lungs out.

 _"_ Gospodin _…_ _Poor girl… I wander how would she react if I told her that… No! I can't! Nope! Bad Tatiana! I can't do that!"_

The door opened silently, and Aya entered the room. She tilted her head while looking at the two. Tatiana just shooed her off with a hand gesture. Suddenly, Aya stood there with a bunch of towels and bath supplies, smiling brightly.

 _"_ _Not bad… This could pose some problems later on however…"_

Aya turned around and quietly exited the room amongst the sobbing of Aina, which stopped a few minutes later.

"Better?" Tatiana asked.

"Yes, thanks, Tanya…"

"Friends are just for that. Now, I believe we should fetch a bite for ourselves?"

"Yeah, yeah… Just let me cool down, okay?"

"Sure."

After another few minutes, the two night witches were walking down the corridor, and they too saw the uncommon sight.

"What is she doing here?" Aina asked.

"Beats me. Maybe she likes watching TV in the corridor?"

"Heehee… Let's get the info from the horse's mouth."

They approached the Karlslander, who was mesmerized by some kind of documentary.

"Oh, hey, that's Second Neuroi War footage!" Aina noticed. "What a shame I don't understand Karlslander even if my life would depended on it… Oh! Grandma!"

"Hey, that's my Grandma too…" Tatiana squinted her eyes

" _Die Weisse Lilie von Petrograd und die As von Diamanten sind hier auf ein…_ " the narrator said.

"Bawww, seriously…" Aina pouted. "Hey, what are you doing?" she asked Tatiana, who was now waving her hand before Sieglinde's eyes.

"I'm trying to…" she paused as the Karlslander blinked and started opening her mouth. "Hello, comrade. Fancy seeing you here."

"Oh, you…" she mumbled. "Access to the kitchen is restricted."

"Straight and to the point. However, we want a sandwich. Or two."

"Ugh…" Sieglinde sighed and knocked hard on the door thrice.

Not even half a minute passed, and Elwyn peeked out.

"Hungry already, Sieglinde? Oh, it's you guys. Late breakfast as usual?"

"Yes please," Aina said politely.

"Well, sorry, but you'll have to order a takeout. Wait a few minutes, kay?"

"A few minutes won't make us martyrs, we'll wait, comrade."

"Of course you will, commie," Elwyn said with a sly smile and dove back inside the dining hall.

"Ummm… Sieglinde?" Aina asked.

"Yes, squadmate with a billion surnames?"

"Heh… Um, could you tell me what they're talking about in the tube?"

"Oh, that?" That's a documentary about the grandmothers of you two, mostly focusing on their lesbian relationship."

"Hmm… Interesting… Could you, per chance, translate?"

"Well, I'll try, but I never done simultaneous translation…"

"Pleeeeaaaaase!"

"Okay, okay… Sheesh… So… In 1944…"

 **Fifteen minutes later**

"Aaaaaaah… That was reaaaaally refreshing…" Giulietta said blissfully while buttoning her uniform up.

"It really was," Marie said. "You were right," she looked at Shinobu.

"Of course I was, hahaha! I'm not right only when I'm wrong!"

"Heh, makes sense," Aya smiled. "Um… Guys?"

"What is it?" Nami asked.

"Think I… should visit Kola now?"

"Soft, sparkly, slightly hot and with a scent of lemon? He could misinterpret that you know," Angela smiled wryly."

"Angeelaaaa!"

"Okay, okay, I'm joking. Hey, he's your man; you can visit him whenever you want."

"Thanks!" Aya cheered and ran out.

"Wow, she's sure gung ho about that guy…" Shinobu sighed deeply.

"Like grandmother, like granddaughter," Giulietta shrugged.

"Look who's talking…" all of the girls mumbled in sync.

 **Corridor**

After Aya ran a few meters, she saw something heartwarming. Sieglinde was still on her chair, but Aina was resting her head on the formers lap, and Tatiana was listening to Sieglinde explaining something with reverence. When she got closer, Tatiana raised her hand and said, "Hello, Aya."

"H-Hi."

"Oh, you're finished?" Sieglinde asked.

"What's going on here?"

"I've become a lector for the two, heh… I think I'm doing rather well, since only the Suomi fell asleep."

"Heehee… Okay, I'm going to visit Kola, keep up the good work!"

"Oh shoo already…" Sieglinde frowned. "Now, where were I…? Ah, in 1945…"

The door to the dining hall opened and Elwyn lurked out with two plates.

"Eat up you two," she said in a friendly manner. "Is she asleep?"

"Looks like it," Tatiana shrugged. "Thank you for the meal, comrade."

"Just don't choke on it, commie," Elwyn smirked and went back inside.

Tatiana poked Aina, to which the latter reacted with mumbling.

"Whuuu…"

"Food time."

"Oh, fooood…" she yawned and turned towards Tatiana. "Heh that will do."

"You two want to eat in peace or listen to my rambling?" Sieglinde asked.

"We wanna listen!" Aina cheered.

"Just don't fall asleep again, damn you…" she muttered hopelessly.

 **Kitchen**

"Say, shouldn't the rest of us be already decorating here?" Elizabeth asked.

"They should. Elwyn, be a good conspirator and hurry them up."

"No can do. Too much uninitiated before the dining hall."

"Ah, crap, forgot about them. Keep your tabs on them, will you?"

"Yeah, sure I will. Where are the decorations anyway?"

"In Ellie's office."

"Welp, this will be fun…" Elwyn sighed.

 **15 minutes later**

 **Bedroom**

The door opened, and Elwyn went in. She caught Aya's gaze and nodded her to herself, out into the corridor.

"W-What is it?" she whispered.

"Get the team going. The stuff is in the commander's office."

"Okay."

"You sure look glad, you know? Did Kola drill you already?"

Aya's red face was enough of an answer for Elwyn.

"Guess he didn't. You're not planning on giving him a birthday _gift_?"

"Well… I… I don't want to g-go that far n-now… I just w-wanted to make out a bit…"

"Good. Just after we all gather in the bedroom after supper, I'll tell y'all my little love story. Whether you interpret it as a warning or fair advice, I'll leave that to you."

"O-Okay…"

"Now, back to the kitchen with me. Expect various delicacies, heheh…"

"Oh, can I help?"

"A fourth one in the kitchen?! Pass on that, sister!"

Aya made such a sad face, that Elwyn immediately restated her previous utterance.

"Um, I mean it's a bit cramped in there and stuff… But if you have something to bring to the table… Well…"

"I'll ask Ms. Katie when we're there!" Aya cheered.

"Ah, that would be the best. Okay, I'm off."

"See you in a bit, heehee…"

Aya got back into the room and surprisingly, the _team_ was already waiting for her, with a pouty Elsa sitting on her bunk and staring a hole in them.

"How?" Aya asked.

"Logical deduction," Angela replied. "Are we going anywhere?"

"Yes, follow me," Aya said. "Elsie, don't be mad at us, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…" she sighed. "It's because I'm a helpless blabbermouth, right?"

"Um… Well…"

"Yeah, I see it now. I really don't blame you that you won't let me in on some secrets, really. Really, really, really. So go and do whatever you want to do, I'll let myself be surprised, heheh…"

"Thanks… Oh, but you can help!"

"How?!"

"You can ensure that nobody will leave this room in the next five minutes."

"Ayayaye!"

"Hahahaha!" Aya laughed heartily.

"Come on, Aya, or we won't do this till nightfall at this rate!" Shinobu grabbed her friend and pushed her out of the room. "Where to now?"

"The commander's room."

"What's there?" Nami asked.

"Decorations."

"Then you'll need somebody to lift all of this, haha!" Nami grabbed her thin arm in a flex pose.

"Heehee… I doubt there will be heavy lifting involved buuuut… Anyway, let's go."

Quickly, they approached the door to the office, and Shinobu knocked on the door.

"Come in," Ellie chimed, and as the door opened she cheered, "Oh, finally visitors! Come on in you lot!"

The four of them came in and Ellie continued, "Ah, fiddlesticks… You're here for the decorations?" she asked disappointed.

"Well, if you have something else in mind for us, ma'am, then we're all ears," Shinobu said.

"You all could visit me more often, I won't bite you know?"

"Heh, okay ma'am, we'll try," Angela smiled. "Is that all of it?" she pointed out the cartons in the corner of the room."

"Yup, all of that. I hope you have some creativity in you?"

"I guess the four of us plus the three in the kitchen will come up with something… flamboyant." Angela said. "Do we have something to prop the decorations up?"

"Um, yes… There's some scotch tape in one of the boxes but… I forgot about a ladder…"

"Ah, don't worry ma'am. Nami and Aya will probably manage with the help of some tables and chair, the ceiling is hanging low enough."

"Course I will!" Nami cheered.

"Now, of with you all. We don't want to postpone it any longer than needed."

The girls took the cartons and went down the corridor to Sieglinde's post. The TV was turned off now, and she was staring up to the ceiling silently.

"Kill me…" she mumbled, sensing the upcoming fray.

"Just an hour or two, Sigi, and you'll be free," Aya said.

"Bah, whatever now… I got TV, and food and water on demand. Want to see how that works?"

"Sure," Nami said.

Sieglinde slammed the door thrice, and after a bit, Elwyn popped out shouting, "What?!"

"Just testing comms, heheheh…"

"Why I…" she muttered angrily but then she noticed the rest. "Oh, you guys are here finally. Come on in."

Elwyn let the quartet in, and after closing the door she shouted, "Katie, the decorations are in!"

"Let them do whatever they want, come back and help me!"

"Sure!" Elwyn shouted back. "You heard the boss lady."

"Yeah, the upper-boss lady said something like that too," Angela said. "Well now, let's see what we have here, and then let's proceed with the actual decorating."

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	23. Chapter 23 – Party like it's 1983

Chapter 23 – Party like it's 1983

* * *

 **An hour later**

"Uuuuugh…" Nami moaned. "My hands are sooore… My legs are soooooore…"

"B-But…" Aya tried to divert all the blame to herself but it fell flat at Nami.

"No, no, I should pump my guns a bit. I'm relying too much on my magic…"

"Yeah, like a certain somebody…" Angela grumbled. "But she has the other strength magic type, which doesn't have such an effect on her, damn it…"

"But it was fun weighing almost nothing, heehee…" Aya giggled. "And we got to hang all the thingamajigs thanks to you!"

"Yes… We did… Shino and Angela made due of the decorations and stuff on ground level, so we're basically finished. Just like my legs and arms…"

"Ah, don't worry," Angela patted her on the back. "We'll carry you back to bed if you want."

"Heheheh thanks!"

"Okay you lot, have some juice!" Elwyn shouted as she came out of the kitchen.

When the four were drinking, Elwyn said, "Aya, you can help in the kitchen if you'd like. A fourth pair of hands will actually be useful."

"Oh, sure!" Aya cheered and immediately ran inside the kitchen.

"What enthusiasm…" Elwyn mumbled.

"Aya is just altruistic to the point of annoying sometimes," Angela shrugged. "Thanks for the juice."

"I guess you deserved it," Elwyn shrugged too. "Nice job, I must say. You have a knack for this thing."

"Ah, pff…" Angela waved her hand lazily and smiled. "Guess my Mom's teachings made an effect after all."

"Hmm?" Elwyn tilted her head.

"My Mom likes home decorating and stuff like that. If you would see my room one day when I returned from school, sheesh… But whatever now, anything we should or could do now?"

"No, I think not… Hey, Katie!"

"No, nothing else!"

"Kay!"

"You sure have a good relationship with the vice commander," Shinobu noted.

"Hey, we're both Liberians, and we're both working our asses off in one kitchen, so…"

"Elwyn, for fucks sake, come here already!" Katie yelled from the kitchen.

"Coming!" Elwyn hurriedly gathered the glasses and ran off to the kitchen.

"You seem to start liking her," Shinobu said while looking at Angela.

"The Liberian? Pff, as if…"

"Don't be like that, she's a nice girl. Remember that even the 501st took some time to fit all their gears together, but in the end, they were like a chain without weak links."

"So I heard from Grandma. But you're the last one to talk, since YOUR grandmother was literally the last to stop being such a pain in the ass."

"Hey, hey, leave _oba-san_ out of this! She behaved as she behaved, because she didn't want the 501st to be a bunch of rotten brats!"

"But Aya's Grandpa fixed that!" Nami cheered.

"Yeah, he sure liked to meddle from what I've heard…" Angela sighed.

"And he was such a stud back in the days…" Shinobu said with a dreamy voice.

"Hopeless…" both Angela and Nami sighed in accord.

 **An hour later**

 **Dining hall**

"We gathered you all here for a special occasion," Ellie started her explanations to everyone beside Kola. "Today is Kola's birthday."

"Well, that explains the whole getup…" Giulietta murmured.

"…and the secrecy," Elsa murmured along.

"Precisely. Therefore, Aya will get that log from his room now, and you all will sing Happy Birthday and such. You probably know how a surprise party looks like from TV anyway."

The girls nodded with smirks on their faces.

"Sieglinde, you'll be operating the light switch. Katie, you'll be lighting the candles in your _special_ way. The rest just stay silent until the lights some on."

The girls nodded again.

"Now, Aya, go on your little mission."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Aya ran out of the room a bit rigidly.

"Why are we doing this again?" Tatiana asked.

"He's our only guy in the unit, and he deserves a bit of pampering, don't you think?" Ellie smiled.

"That is a rather valid argument, ma'am…"

"And you all will also have fun. Have you noticed all the food your dear vice-commander prepared?"

"Of course. And that beer where _tovarishch_ Savchenko is supposed to sit…"

"He's old enough, and doesn't have to sortie, so a beer or two won't be a problem. And he is Orussian after all."

Giggles were heard across the conjoined tables forming one big one.

 **Corridor**

Aya saw Kola as he was exiting his room.

"Kola!"

"Ah, my dear girlfriend! Want another talk about nothing?"

"Heheh, maybe later. W-Where were you going anyway?"

"My gut is demanding an offering it seems."

"Oh, come with me, the dining hall is open already."

"It is? Good, maybe I'll see what in God's name was done there."

Aya grabbed him by the wrist and said, "C-Come on."

"It's customary that the man leads his woman," Kola smiled.

"Oh, heehee… Then… H-Here…" Aya presented her hand like a true lady.

"Don't mind if I do," Kola kissed the back of her hand delicately and then they proceeded out of the room.

 **Dining hall**

"So goddamn dark…" Elwyn mumbled.

"Language," Ellie hissed.

"Pardon…"

"Forgiven. And well, given the fact that there are no windows here…"

"I hear them," Sieglinde said.

"Everyone prepare a nice and loud "Surprise" for me."

Many _uhums_ were heard, and the door opened slowly.

"Dark like in a _negrs_ ass…" Kola muttered.

"I'll get the light."

At the same moment, Sieglinde flicked the switch, and the witches standing in wait shouted, "Surprise!"

"Whoa!" Kola shouted and took a step back.

Aya placed her hand on Kola's and said, "Happy Birthday. Again, heehee…"

"Did you…"

"No, Miss Eleanor planned it, and half of us made it happen."

"Thanks…" Kola said softly and ruffled up Aya's hair. "So, if you all threw a party for me, then what about some presents?"

"Of course there are presents, Kola," Ellie smiled and Aya ran up to her, taking a gift she picked up from the floor under that table.

"H-Here, Kola… I couldn't buy anything m-myself…"

"Next year you'll do better," he winked and ripped off the gift-wrap. "Now, now… Jim Beam? And a tie? Hah, you sure have a sense of humor, Ellie!"

"Right? That bottle is ten years old, so you might want to age it a bit."

"Please…"

"Yeah, what am I even talking about, you're Orussian, hahaha!"

The girls laughed a bit, and then, Katie called attention. She fired up her magic, and quickly moving her hands, she lit up the candles on the cake. The witches clapped and cheered, and as Kola was about to blow the candles, Aya said, "Make a wish."

"I will."

 _"_ _I wish that this will end as good as possible for both of us…"_

He blew the candles with one blow, and _Happy Birthday_ was sung. When the participants were busy with the cake, Ellie went off to the kitchen. She pulled out a translucent bottle from the freezer and returned with it.

"So, Angela and Shinobu, I believe you wanted to do something?"

A bit stumped, Shinobu pointed out the normal glasses they used for every meal, and Ellie nodded.

"Damn, this really is Orussia… So, Angela?"

"Let's do this."

Ellie turned the bottle around, hit the bottom with her elbow, unscrewed the lid, and poured enough of Stolichnaya to cover the glasses bottoms. The two took the glasses and intertwined their right arms at the elbows.

"I'm Angela."

"I'm Shinobu."

They drank from their glasses and made sour faces.

"Pickle?" Katie grinned and pushed an opened jar of pickles to the two, which they quickly dug their hands into.

"Guess sake ain't quite the same thing as good old vodka, huh?" Tatiana asked.

"Nawp," Shinobu said while munching down a pickle.

"Hey, Kola, want this puppy?" Ellie asked while waving the bottle around.

"I don't know if I'll need it."

"I'll leave it in the freezer, in case your throat gets dry, if you know what I mean. But please, drink a beer."

"If you insist, then down the hatch," he shrugged and opened a bottle. "Aya, want some?"

"Um… I don't know if I can…" she looked at the commander.

"One gulp won't hurt. If you can hold your drink in that is."

"Somehow, Aya has a mysterious trait enabling her to drink like a motor pump…" Sieglinde said.

"Really?"

"Yes, it's weird. M-My mother, my uncles, and Grandfather can all drink as much as their bladders enable them…"

"Whew, some handy ability… Remind me not to go into a drinking game with you."

"Heh, yes ma'am."

"Dig in, everyone! Today we celebrate this guy turning nineteen!"

Everyone cheered and the feast started.

 **Undisclosed location**

 **1450 MSK**

A knock was heard on a heavy oaken door with a gilded door handle sticking out of it.

"Come in," a balding man in glasses said from behind his massive desk.

A simple Sergeant of the Soviet Army came in, closed the door behind him, and saluted.

" _Tovarisch_ Chebrikov, I bring you today's reports."

"Thank you, _soldat_. Bring them here."

"Right away."

The soldier passed on the stack of documents to the man and went away as fast as he arrived.

 _"_ _Now let us see what is going on in Lebyazhye…"_

The man flicked through the reports and pulled out a single sheet of paper. There wasn't much to read, but his face was red as a beet afterward.

 _"_ Suki _! Nothing happening?! What in God's name do they think they are doing there?! On the other hand… They never got properly briefed, but that's for their own good... Time to change that! Someone besides the_ Chernaya Smert _must know the secondary objective of this whole charade."_

The man lifted the receiver of one of the phones on his desk and dialed zero. After hearing the telephonist, he said, "Get me the Kryuchkov on a secure line."

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Dining hall**

 **1605 MSK**

"I hereby declare this party over," Ellie said. "Everything has been eaten, every activity has been done. Now it's time to clean this up."

"Ah, wait, wait!" Katie protested. "Everyone, come in front of the building."

"Should we get dressed?" Sieglinde asked.

"It will take two minutes at most, really. Oh, but Lily, you're a special case."

"Special?" she wondered. "Ah, will you do _that_ thing right now?"

"Yup, just give me a second to prepare, and then I'll prepare you. Be right back!" Katie said and ran off.

"What is this commotion all about?" Ellie asked.

"Katie said she'll unlock my pyrokynetic abilities, ma'am."

"Oh? Now this will be interesting… Give me a minute too; I have to see if we didn't get some message through the teleprinter," Ellie stood up and went her way.

"Pyrokinesis you say?" Nami asked. "Cool!"

"I'm a bit afraid of what might happen… I mean, this is quite a dangerous ability…"

"Nah, Katie will pull you through it, since she's operating it so skilfully herself," Elwyn patted the Britannian on the back gently.

"Thanks…"

"Let's go then," Shinobu ordered.

 **Radio room**

Ellie opened the door and turned on the light. The first thing she noticed was that an insanely long string of paper was sticking out of the teleprinter.

"Oh damn…" she said quietly and ran up to the string of paper. "A cipher? That can only mean one thing…"

She quickly ripped off the message, folded it nicely, bound it with a rubber band she found in the desk and stuck it into her pocket.

 _"_ _Nobody has to know…"_

 **Commander's bedroom**

Katie ran into the room like a raging tempest, and she pulled out a book out of one of her bags. Inside it, there was an envelope with the kanji 明治神宮 written over it.

 _"_ _So now is the time to use this… I hope nothing goes wrong…"_

Katie stuck the envelope into her pocket and ran off towards the bedroom of the rest. Surprisingly for her, the girls were still entering the room.

"Chop chop!" Katie shouted to them. "Get your caps or hats or whatever you use to keep your heads warm and let's go! Lily, wait a second!"

The girls all went in with the exception of Elizabeth, who waited for her cousin to join her.

"What is it?"

"Do you have spare undies and a bra?"

"Well… Yes, three pairs. Why are you asking?"

"Oh, we'll get to that. The next thing is that you have to strip down to your underwear."

"W-W-Why?!"

"Trust me, you want to do this. Really."

"O-Okay… But it's cold outside!"

"I'll keep you warm, don't worry. Now go, do it. And pull a blanket over yourself."

"Kay…"

Katie went over to the lobby and saw Kola waiting for everyone silently.

"Kola… Erm… When I tell you to, could you please close your eyes?"

"Why so, dear vice commander?"

"You could see my cousin naked…" Katie mumbled shyly.

"Uhum… I guess that would be something good to see for me."

"Oh shush you perv! You'll do it and that's final!"

"Yes, yes… Even on my birthday people are yelling at me," he sighed.

"Sorry…"

"Maybe I deserved it, whatever," he shrugged.

"No hard feelings?"

"Nah…"

Two minutes later, everyone went out of the main building into the dark night. Katie was holding the blanket covered Elizabeth, who was now glowing slightly orange.

"Wow, it's so warm, despite it being what, minus ten?"

"Minus fifteen Celsius," Katie corrected her. "I know it," she winked.

"Heehee…"

"Okay everyone, listen up. Stand your ground here. Do not move until I say you to do so," Katie commanded.

The girls nodded, a bit intrigued and a bit reserved.

"Now I'm getting scared…" Elizabeth whispered.

"Don't worry, Lily, it will be over in a minute. Come on."

"I'm really scared…"

"Do you trust me, Lily?"

"Yes."

"Then follow me."

Reluctantly, the Britannian followed the Liberian a few good meters down the concrete pavement.

"Okay, now turn around to everybody… Good…" Katie said and pulled out the envelope out of her pocket and opened it.

"What's that, Katie?"

"It's the seal to unseal your seal, straight from the Meiji Temple in Tokyo. Their priestesses put the seal on us in the first place, since they're one of the best."

"So… What happens now?"

"Now, you'll have to trust me completely. Don't do anything."

"O-Okay."

Katie sparked up with a flame and conversely, the paper seal started glowing crimson red, revealing complicated writing and figures all over it.

"Pretty…" Elizabeth gasped.

"Open!" Katie yelled and smacked the seal against her cousin's forehead, at the same time pulling off the blanket she had on her.

"Owowowowow! That hurts! But… Hey… Why is it dissolving? Why are you running away?!"

"You might feel a slight sensation of burning up!" Katie shouted and positioned herself about ten meters from Elizabeth.

"Burning… up?" she wondered, but suddenly she started getting hot. "Whew… It's warm here..." she said and looked down. "Wah, where's my blanket!"

"Here!" Katie was waving it over her head.

"Give it b… back!" Elizabeth suddenly stuttered as the heat started getting more and more intense.

She looked at her hands, and she saw that they slowly started glow, first red, then orange, yellow, and white after a few more seconds.

"Kaaaatie… What… What's…" Elizabeth said out of breath and fell on her knees.

"Liz!" Elwyn shouted and tried to run forward, but Katie yelled, "Stop! The worst is yet to come!"

"What the fuck is happening?!" Elwyn yelled. "Don't you see something's not right?!"

"I went through the same!"

"Oh…" Elwyn calmed down immediately and looked at Ellie. "Errrmm…"

"Huh, what?" Ellie snapped out of some trance. "Want something?"

"No, nothing ma'am."

"Good," she smiled back at her.

And then, Elizabeth exploded into a pillar of orange flames, reaching twenty meters up and with a radius of five meters.

 _"_ _Holy shit! This is more intense than in my case, from what I heard at least!"_

The fiery pillar dissolved itself only four seconds later, and Katie shouted, "Kola, eyes!"

Everyone looked at Kola, and he closed his eyes while shrugging. Then, their gazes went back towards Katie, who ran to Elizabeth, now lying naked on a circle of superheated glowing concrete. Katie had to use her own magic to counter the heat, and she picked up her cousin, and wrapped her in the blanket, using her magic to keep her warm.

She slowly walked towards the rest.

"Kola, you can open your eyes now."

"Finally…"

"Katie, why didn't you tell us this would be so… explosive?" Ellie asked.

"Uh… I wanted it to be more dramatic… Heheh…" and her laughter was interrupted by an overhead blow to Katie's head by Ellie. "OW! Why?!"

"We were worried dead about your cousin, right girls?"

"Uhum!" they confirmed with a synchronized nod.

"Sorry you all… But she's good now."

"Why the fireworks by the way?" Elwyn asked.

"Her power was sealed magically, but it actually was active the whole time. The excess magic was being stored in the seal placed upon her itself, so when it got undone, boom. And damn good I did it now, because any day it could pop on its own, judging by that reaction…"

"R-Really?" Aya asked.

"Yup. That would be one hell of a firestorm… But the shows over, everyone. Lily needs to take a nap, and if I'm a benchmark, she can even sleep for a whole day after this."

"But she'll be okay?" Elwyn asked visibly concerned.

"Yes, pretty much. But I do advise that she sleeps in a separate bed, just in case."

"She could ignite spontaneously?" Sieglinde asked.

"That's a possibility, but it didn't happen to me. Let's go, it's cold outside."

"Well no sh… You don't say," Kola corrected himself after looking at Ellie briefly.

"Achoo!" Aya sneezed suddenly. "Heh, sorry…"

"Now, come here," Kola said and grabbed her like a bear and lifting her of the ground simultaneously. "Better?

"Ahhh… Ummmm… It's a bit warmer…" Aya replied while trying to keep the redness of her cheeks at bay.

"Hey, de Bergerac, not to fast are we?" Sieglinde asked.

"I can go faster," Kola grinned.

"Not before everyone," Ellie said calmly. "Back inside everyone, because I sure wouldn't want to treat half of the unit for colds and the other for pneumonia."

"Yes ma'am!" the girls cheered and ran off inside.

While everyone was fawning over Elizabeth, Ellie split off and went to her office. She opened the safe and pulled out a small booklet. She then took the message she received and read the first characters. Then, she opened the booklet and she started deciphering the message character after character.

 **Ten minutes later**

 **Bedroom**

"Actually… I'll overlook Lily personally," Katie said suddenly after a prolonged period of silence.

"So, you'll be sleeping with us?" Elwyn asked.

"Yeah, I'll just get my stuff."

"Hah, cool! I always wondered how it looks like in your room by the way…"

"It's also Ellie's room, so I can't show it to you until she consents. Anyway, I'll be going, be right back!"

Katie ran out into the corridor, but she took the office as her target first. She opened the door and saw Ellie painstakingly deciphering a message.

"Oh shit…"

"Indeed, my dear friend…" Ellie sighed without missing a beat.

"When?"

"When we were partying. Now, shush, I don't want to botch up the decryption."

"Sure thing, Ellie. But by the way, I'll be staying with Lily for the next day or so."

"So you'll leave me? Good, less snoring."

"Heeeey!"

"Ha, got ya!"

"You devilish… ehh… I hope it's not something we should be concerned about too much…"

"I'm not reading into it at the same time, so I don't know what it is about. Now, scoot."

"Yeah, I'm out."

Katie wandered over to her shared bedroom, took some stuff, and returned to the rest.

"So, my dear card sharpers, how about some poker?"

Both Shinobu and Angela laughed creepily and the latter said, "Game's on, ma'am."

 **Fifteen minutes later**

 **Commander's office**

"And done…" Ellie muttered to herself. "Now to read it."

She looked at the whole page of her organized writing, and with each line, her heart started pumping blood faster, and she herself felt as if the window in the room gradually opened. With shaking hands, she pulled out a crystal ashtray out of her desk and burned both the deciphered messaged and the original one quickly.

 _"_ _What will I do… What will I do… What will I do… This is madness… What will I do…"_

 **Twenty minutes later**

"Royal flush," Katie smirked as she laid down her cards.

"God dammit fuck!" Angela yelled and slammed a pair of threes, a nine, and a pair of eights.

"You can say that again…" Shinobu mumbled and threw a straight from two to six.

"Yooooink," Katie said as she swiped the betting pool from the center of the _table_.

The two losers looked sourly at their vice commander, making her laugh.

"You look like you were just shafted from behind, bahahaha! Holy shit, priceless!"

"Revenge!" Elwyn shouted from her bunk.

"Smoked out of the water…" Sieglinde smirked.

"Heehee… To think Angela lost at poker…" Aya giggled.

"Right?" Elsa joined in.

"Yeah, rub it in…" Angela sighed. "Anyone want to get steamrolled by our vice commander?"

Various signs of denial reached her ears, so she said, "Fine, maybe we should dismantle our little makeshift table."

"Wait ma'am, I know somebody who might play," Shinobu said.

"Nah…" Katie said but she looked at the straight face of the Fusojin. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Well then… Ayaaaaa…" the Leh mused.

"Y-Yes?"

"Go fetch your hunk, we need another player."

"O-Okay ma'am."

"Wait, Kola here?" Sieglinde asked.

"What? Were all decent now. And good luck if he tries something around us, ha!"

"Ah, forget I tried…"

Aya ran up to Kola's room, and yet another time she forgot to knock.

"It seems I should just install a revolving door here…" he shook his head.

"S-Sorry…"

"So, did you come to make out?"

"N-N-Not now! But… There's a n-need for a poker player…"

"Poker you say? Whatever keeps me from boring my ass off… Where?"

"Our room."

"Intriguing… I hope you're all decent?"

"Heehee, yes."

"Then I'm going. Lead the way, or it might be misinterpreted."

"Sure!"

When they exited the room, they heard a faint phone ring. Aya gestured Kola to stay put and they both waited in anticipation.

"Girls, trouble…" Ellie said with a tired voice through the PA system. "Ten I-3's spotted heading for Volgograd from the west… Gather a group of witches that are good low visibility fighters and head out, I have other problems on my mind right now."

"Shit…" Kola said. "Guess you're going out, Aya?"

"I am," she replied with a cold voice and went for the bedroom, leaving the stumped Kola in the middle of the corridor.

She entered the room and saw a total mess, with everyone running around frantically.

"You!" she pointed at Tatiana. "You!" she pointed at the now awake Aina. "You!" she pointed out at Sieglinde. "And you!" she lastly pointed at Shinobu. "Sortie time!"

"Go," Katie said. "That should be enough, but remember to call for reinforcements if the situation gets out of hand."

Aya only nodded slightly and she quickly dressed herself accordingly, and afterwards, she drove to the hangar with the participants of the sortie.

"Everyone that doesn't have a night time flash hider should mount theirs!" Aya said loud enough for everyone to hear.

"We're good," Tatiana said. "Right, Aina?"

"Mhm."

Aya looked at Sieglinde, who was already unscrewing the normal flash hider of her MG3 H1. Then she looked at Shinobu, towards which she replied, "Ah, yes, I believe I have one," and she turned around and ran to her Launch Unit.

The dual personality Karslander herself also changed the flash hider from a simple cone to a complicated tubular construction, guaranteeing an almost inexistent muzzle flash. She saw that Shinobu mounted a robust construction the end of the barrel of her M2.

"Does that thing even work?" Sieglinde asked a bit surprised.

"It's a prototype," Shinobu shrugged. "But I heard it works, so whatever."

"Everyone take your night vision goggles, we're going for a hunt," Aya said while taking a pair of AN/PVS-5-W monocular night vision devices that were delivered a few days ago in the same drop as the Strikers were. "And remember that the new generation of Neuroi can go stealth at night!"

"Never forgot that for a second," Tatiana rebuked.

"Then mount your Striker and let's go! Double time!"

"Who made her boss…?" the Orussian mumbled.

"The vice commander I guess," Aina shrugged. "C'mon, Tanya."

"Yeah, yeah…"

 **Hundred kilometers East**

 **3000 meters ASL**

"I see them," Shinobu quietly reported. "Distance one thousand, dead ahead, plus ten meters height difference, all in one line horizontally."

Since she used a monocular goggle, she could use her other eye combined with her inherent magic to spot the enemy. But little did she know, Aya saw the enemy a lot faster, but she didn't want to stand out of line.

"Everyone rise a hundred meters and then achieve a line formation. If we ambush them, there is a possibility to kill most of them before they go invisible."

"Clever," Tatiana noted

They silently rose above the flight path of the Neuroi and aimed their rifles downwards at the enemy.

"Fire!" Aya yelled just as the Neuroi formation was four hundred meters before them.

The flash hiders of all of the guns did their jobs perfectly, as even with the goggles they were using; only a miniscule puff of hot gas was visible from the barrels when firing. Aya managed to mow down two of the enemies from the left side, while Sieglinde did the same from the right. Shinobu shot one of the enemies in the center, and both Tatiana and Aina killed one each on its side. Immediately, the remaining three went invisible.

However, little did the enemy know, everyone had a bead on them, with Sieglinde having the worst situation, relying only on a very faint glow produced by the interference the Neuroi produced when viewed with NVG's. This however was a mixed blessing, as the field of view of the goggles she had was a measly twenty degrees vertically, effectively reducing her combat value.

Shinobu seemed to know this, because she immediately flew to her back.

"I'm covering your six!"

"Roger that!" Sieglinde answered and sighed silently.

 _"_ _I really hate night combat…"_

Both of them spotted Neuroi trying to circle them, but they didn't give an inch. The other three assisted them, and the sneaky enemies were disposed of swiftly.

"Woo hoo!" Sieglinde cheered.

"Over you!" Aya shouted.

The girls reacted with looking up, but they saw that the Neuroi was charging up an attack already.

"Reppuzan!" a shout thundered the cold winter air, and a magic attack swept the Neuroi out of existence.

Everyone, except for Sieglinde, looked at Aya immediately. Despite the darkness, they saw that she had a katana, and the sword did something that an average person would deem impossible - it glowed black. It looked as if shadows were also enveloping it, dancing around the blade like furious snakes.

The weapon disappeared, and Aya said, "You both are pathetic. If it weren't for me, you would be both dead," she said and then she fired up her transponder. "Base, the threat has been eliminated without casualties, returning home."

"Roger that," Ellie answered.

Shinobu looked surprised at Sieglinde, but the latter just said, "Ask her after we return, really."

"I kind of know why…"

Tatiana looked at each other and shrugged. Aya zoomed off towards the base, and the rest followed silently.

When Aya finally docked her Striker, she exhaled deeply and said, "Boy that was close… Sigi, Shino, you should really watch out…"

"Ugh, sorry, Aya…" Sieglinde said apologetically.

"Errr… What's going on?" Aina asked absolutely confused. "First you berate them like schoolgirls, and now you just act all concerned?"

"Um… Well… It's a bit complicated…"

"I noticed that you behave totally differently in combat and in _normal_ life. It's a bit creepy…"

"And that sword…" Shinobu butted it.

"I… I… I'm not c-comfortable w-with explaining the f-first one… But… T-The sword's name is Kagemaru. I can summon it at will. W-Well, not _me_ exactly…" Aya said and raised her hand.

Immediately, a sword appeared in her hand, but it was completely rusted, and one could see through the holes in it.

"I think we saw something else…" Tatiana looked at the blade carefully.

"Only in b-battle I can summon the s-swords full p-power…" Aya said and dispelled the sword.

"There's always something new to discover about you," Tatiana smiled. "Let's go back already. I can drive."

"No, no, I'll manage…" Aya said quietly.

"Then I'll kill the lights," Tatiana said.

When everyone was in the car, Aya turned on the engine and drove to the main building. Just when they opened the door, they saw everyone except for Ellie and Elizabeth waiting for them.

"How many?!" Nami asked fervently.

"Let me handle this, Aya," Sieglinde said. "Aya had three individual shotdowns, I got two, and the rest got one each. Two Neuroi were shot at by everyone."

"Hoohoo! Good job, Aya!" Nami cheered and hugged her cousin.

"Hey, leave some space for me!" Elsa shouted and also clung onto Aya.

"Damn the two are grabby," Giulietta said.

"The three of them are cousins and best buds, why shouldn't they?" Sieglinde said.

"Wait, what?!" the Romagnan shouted surprised.

"Oh, I d-didn't tell anyone? Elsie is also my cousin," Aya smiled.

"I knew it somehow," Katie grinned. "I paid attention to my modern history classes, heheh…"

"Hey, good job," Elwyn said after she approached Sieglinde.

"Well… Thanks. But nothing changes between us."

"Yes, yes, you formal stick in the mud, hahaha!"

"Oh right, good job, Shino!" Nami removed one hand from Aya and raked her Fusojin friend in for the hug.

"Argh, can it, Nami…" Shinobu blushed ever so slightly.

"Well done you two," Katie approached Tatiana and Aina.

"Thank you, ma'am," Tatiana said, and at the same time, Aina limped into her arms. "Ugh, you damn narcoleptic… Pardon me, ma'am."

"Yeah, go get her in bed. Aya, report time."

"O-Only me?"

"Yeah, since you're the MVP, heheh. Ellie is already waiting for you."

"O-On it. Nami…?"

"Ah, yeah! Go," Nami released her from her clutches.

"I'll go too," Sieglinde said, and after receiving a surprised stare from both Nami and Aya she added, "Just in case you stutter too much."

"Ah, thanks."

When both of them reached the door to the commander's office, Sieglinde knocked on it, and received a half-hearted, "Come in."

They entered the room and saw Ellie smoking a cigarette beside the open window.

"Oh, you're back. So, how was it?"

"Do you want it on paper, ma'am?" Sieglinde asked.

"Just give me a brief summary."

"Well then, so…"

Sieglinde briefly summarized what happened during the battle, not excluding the appearance of Kagemaru.

"A sword you say? Nice…" Ellie said with a tired voice. "Okay, you're free to go. Tell Katie to make a light supper to those who want it."

"Yes ma'am," the two responded, but when they were moving towards the door, Aya whispered, "Go ahead, I have to ask something."

Sieglinde nodded and went out.

"Oh? What do you want, Sweetie?"

"Is… Is something amiss, ma'am?"

"Why do you think it is?"

"I never saw you smoking… And… You seem tired, ma'am… Maybe even depressed…"

A smile cracked on Ellie's face and she said, "Oh Aya… You are a very bright observer it seems. As a commander, I can't let you worry about things that you have no influence on. So now, be a good girl and go back to your friends."

"But…"

"No buts, Sweetie. Everyone has their own problems, and I don't want to share," she winked.

"Okay ma'am…" Aya sighed disappointed.

When Aya got outside, she saw that Shinobu was waiting for her, and that Sieglinde wasn't present.

"Oh? What's up, Shino?"

"I want to talk about that sword of yours."

"Heehee… I knew this would happen. So… What do you want to know?"

"How did you acquire it?"

"Now that's a weird story. You see, one day I was running in the forest alone, and suddenly, boom! Everything around me is black and white and silent."

"Interesting…"

"And then, a redheaded girl in some short yukata or something, I don't know how to classify it, appears before me with the sword levitating above her hands."

"Very interesting…"

"I just pointed at myself, and the girl nodded. A bit scared I took the sword and it disappeared in my hands. Then the girls said, "Just imagine the sword appearing, or disappearing, and everything will be peachy. Bye now!" and she disappeared."

"Damn, almost like with me and Nagareboshi!"

"Wait wha?!"

"Yeah, a mysterious redhead also gave me my sword!"

"No way!"

"Way!"

"But it doesn't have its own pocket dimension, right?"

Shinobu smirked and the blade in question disappeared off her back with sheath and strap.

"Woah!"

She stretched her hand out, and the sword alone appeared in Shinobu's hand.

"Nifty, huh?"

"But why are you carrying it around with you?"

"Two swords look better than one, hahaha!"

"Heh…"

"And it weighs almost nothing, so it isn't a bother."

"And… Does it change when somebody else touches it?"

"Yup. It becomes a normal katana then. What about yours?"

"Kagemaru… disappears…"

"Now that's mysterious… And the fact that only the other you can use its full potential is also an Agatha Christie grade mystery…"

Aya was about to open her mouth, but Shinobu said, "Bah, come on back to the rest, I have a damn card game to win!"

"Heheh, okay. Oh, but did the redhead tell you her name?"

"Yeah, it was… K… Something beginning with K… Katie? Karen? Kirsten? Kunigunde? Dunno, forgot it. I was too excited that I got a sword that would rival my nee-sans! Well, it's actually better, heheheh…"

"How nice," Aya smiled.

* * *

Supper rolled in later, with Angela and Shinobu still sour after losing even more poker games.

"I have received news, everyone," Ellie said. "It seems our supplies will be delivered some time tomorrow."

"Does that mean…" Angela started but Ellie didn't let her finish.

"I don't know what it means. Sadly, the content of the supplies were withheld from me."

"I understand."

"So, Katie, are you sleeping with the girls?"

"Yup."

"Okay then. Hope nothing happens."

"Me too."

"Elwyn, I remembered something," Ellie turned towards the Liberian.

"Yes?"

"Your punishment has ended, good luck and stop cursing."

"Heheh, of course ma'am."

"Aaaaaaawwww… But who'll help me in the kitchen now?" Katie puffed her cheeks.

"You are free to enroll anyone you want for kitchen duty," Ellie shrugged.

"Eheheheh…" Katie cackled quietly.

"Good night everyone, sleep tight," Ellie said and stood up.

"You too, ma'am!" the choir of voices responded and the gathering dispersed.

Once everyone was located in the bedroom, Elwyn said, "So, who wants to hear my story?"

"You mean about your first time?" Sieglinde asked.

"Yeah."

All the faces turning towards her were a fitting answer for the Liberian.

"Would'ya look at that… So, I knew a guy named Steve since grade school. To say we were in love in each other would be an overstatement, but we did like each other. He promised we would meet as often as possible, and we did. One day in August last year, I got a leave from my unit. I decided to go to the cinema to see _Friday the 13th Part III_ , and guess who I met at the cinema."

"Steve?" Nami asked.

"Bingo. We meet, we talk, and we go to the same movie. But somehow, I don't know why, I got so damn randy, that I would give my snatch to the Romagnan over yonder."

"Really?!" Giulietta asked surprised.

"Yeah, really, but only then, don't get heated up. Steve probably felt that too, since he started feeling me up my thighs. Then he dropped the question, not very romantic like, but whatever, I didn't care. So we landed up in one bathroom stall, and while Jason Voorhees was stabbing people on the big screen, I was being drilled by Steve. Damn that felt good… But when we exited the bathroom, some girl came up to Steve and asked him whether I'm another one of his love conquests. I was confused, and then she told me that Steve double-timed on that girl, which effectively meant that he triple-timed on me, at least. Not thinking much, I slapped the scumbag so hard he made a barrel roll in the air and landed on the ground. The end."

"Damn," Sieglinde said surprised. "I feel sorry for you."

"I can only feel sorry for my own stupidity. I mean, come on! What guy in puberty would wait for his girlfriend in the army, who only gets a day's leave every odd month and for public holidays?"

"I guess none," Sieglinde answered.

"See? That's why now, I'm on pause with men, and when I retire, I'll be extra careful not to wind up with another bastard who can't keep his dick in his pants for a prolonged period of time."

"But you'll try, right?" Marie asked.

"Yes, of course. I don't want to rely on my fingers for the rest of my life, right? Hahaha!"

Marie blushed heavily and turned around on her bed.

"Now excuse me, I'll read something," Elwyn said and started rummaging in her possessions.

"You think she told that just to give you a warning?" Angela asked Aya.

"She told me to interpret it as I may."

"I see."

 **2200 MSK**

Everybody was asleep, but one black haired Karlsander slipped out of her bed and went on an escapade. She knocked on a door in the corridor, and surprisingly, she received an answer immediately.

"Come in, Aya."

 _"_ _Wow, he's good!"_

She opened the door, and saw that Kola was sitting on his bed, with only a small lamp lit over his bed.

"So what does my girlfriend want from me in such a forbidden time, hmm?"

Aya closed the door behind her and said, "I'm here… to keep my promise."

"And what promise would that be?"

Aya approached him, and she sat beside him.

"C-Close your eyes."

"If you want…"

He closed his eyes, and then Aya closed in. She took his head in her hands and slowly laid her lips on his.

"I she…" Kola mumbled. "That pwomish…"

Her hands lowered themselves, as she was slowly checking every inch of his muscular back. At the same time, she felt that his hands also did the same, but opposite to her, his started getting down lower and lower.

"Nu-uh…" Aya mumbled, as his hands were dangerously low.

"Nu-uh?"

"Nu-uh…"

"Kay…"

Aya tightened her embrace, and she upped her intensified her kissing a bit. A minute later, she backed up and asked, "Was that good enough?"

"I kind of expected you'd let me feel you a bit more…"

"Oh no, not on the first date, heehee… But who knows, gradually…"

"You little succubus…"

"Heehee… But now that we got that over with… I… I want to t-tell you something…"

"What now?"

"All my s-secrets… So you know what makes me tick…"

"Isn't that a bit too soon?"

"The sooner the b-better, Kola…"

"Okay, Aya - hit me."

"Literally?"

"No, dummy!" he laughed.

Aya also laughed, and she proceeded with telling him her darkest secrets. Once she finished, she asked, "W-Will you still be with m-me?"

"Of course, Aya. You're just a bit difficult to handle, that's all."

"Thanks…" she hugged him. "Good night."

"Night."

They kissed briefly for goodbye, and Aya returned to her bed.

* * *

 **Curiosity might reveal something about this chapter…**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	24. Chapter 24 – A transport saved

Chapter 24 – A transport saved

* * *

 **0600 MSK**

 **January 20, 1983**

 **Bedroom**

Katie awoke from a half-sleep. The first thing she did, was looking to her left, where in a free double bunk bed all for herself, Elizabeth should be sleeping. And Katie's heart was at ease as she saw her dear cousin curled up under the blanket, with only her head poking out.

 _"_ _Good, she's sleeping soundly… And there were no_ accidents _, thank God. How good that it turned out so… Oh shit, I forgot about that message we received! And Ellie was a bit under the weather during supper, fuck fuck fuck fuck!"_

Katie almost completely inaudibly slid down on the floor, put on her socks and boots and ran out into the corridor. She quietly knocked on the door to their shared bedroom and whispered, "Hey, Ellie?"

"I'm awake, come in…" Ellie mumbled with a tired voice.

Katie entered the room and she saw her friend sitting on the bed with an uneasy expression.

"Did you sleep?"

"No… Did you?"

"Half-half."

"Good for you..." Ellie smiled faintly

"What happened, Elz?"

"Oh shush, I hate when you call me that… It's the message we received."

"I'm afraid what the content was…"

"I wouldn't even bother telling you if it didn't explicitly state that we BOTH should do it…"

"And _it_ being?"

"Come closer."

Katie sat on the bed beside Ellie, and the latter whispered, "The KGB suspects that Kola is a Romanov."

"What?!"

"Uhum," Ellie nodded with a serious face.

"And what about it?"

"They want us to confirm it at all cost by the end of the month."

"And what then? They'll kill him or something?"

"Most possibly…"

"But why?!"

"Katie… An heir to the throne could demand a prodigious claim for damages. So they'll quickly sweep him under the rug and _konec filma_."

"Good old KGB methods…" Katie sighed. "But Ellie, will you do it?"

"I'm torn between my obligations and between Aya's happiness…"

"Yeeeeaaaaah… Aya could… I really don't know _what_ she would do, but that would probably be dangerous…"

"I have a preliminary plan how to deal with this situation, but for now, you know nothing, and I feign ignorance. We both gather intelligence discreetly to find out whether the KGB is right about Kola."

"I trust you, Ellie. After what happened over Terespol, I'll trust you till the end of my life…" Katie hugged Ellie suddenly.

Ellie was surprised, but she quickly replied with a hug of her own.

"My sister from another mother…" Ellie giggled.

 **0630 MSK**

 **Bedroom**

Aya opened her eyes, but as she wanted to roll to her left, she noticed her right hand is immobilized. A bit scared, she looked to the right, and she saw that the busty Liberian was lying on it.

 _"_ _Wah!"_

At the same time, Aya twitched a bit, which caused Elwyn to move and open her eyes.

"What time is it…?" she mumbled.

"Ummm…"

 _"_ _Half past six, mistress."_

 _"_ _Thanks, Kuro."_

"Half p-past six."

"Too early…" Elwyn yawned and turned around.

"W-Wait… What are you doing here?"

"Oh… Right…" she turned back towards Aya. "I was a bit beat down after telling my story, and I… I didn't want to be alone…"

"I see…"

"Just don't misunderstand me, I'm straight," she smiled.

"Heh, I know, you just wanted some friendly warmth…"

"Speaking of which… How was it yesterday?"

"W-W-What?"

"I know you slid out of the room…" Elwyn mused.

"Ah… Well… Err… Ehh… Kola is a good kisser…"

"I seeeeee… Did he try going _down_?"

"Y-Y-Yes but I stopped him."

"Each man is the same," Elwyn sighed. "Was he aggressive?"

"A bit d-disappointed, but n-not aggressive..."

"Well, at least he's decent enough not to try to dive into your panties forcefully… Right, Sieglinde?"

"If that wouldn't be the case, I would smack him," Sieglinde replied with a fierce stare. "Go to your bed already."

"Jealous?"

"Me? Why should I be?"

"Cuz I'm with Aya, and you're not."

"Pfff…"

"Jelly, jelly…" Elwyn mused.

"Oh you!" Sieglinde barked and jumped off her bunk.

"Wah, save me!" Elwyn clung onto Aya.

Sieglinde jumped onto the bed to Aya's left side and took her left hand.

"There, now we both have a bit of Aya for ourselves."

"Children…" Angela sighed from the side.

"Whew… I thought I was a goner for a second…"

"Nooo… Sigi wouldn't do anything to you in my own bed. Right?"

"First of all, Liberion didn't do anything wrong…" Sieglinde muttered.

"I'm telling you for the umpteenth time, I have two given names and a family name to choose from…" Elwyn mumbled.

"Ugh… Fine, whatever, it won't hurt. So, Elwyn…"

"Much better," Elwyn grinned.

"So anyway, thanks for poking Aya into revealing what happened when she snuck out yesterday. I probably wouldn't do it myself…"

"Oh, why, Sigi?"

"You would probably berate me for prying into your relationship with Kola…" Sieglinde muttered.

"Oh, no, no… Now that I know you've given up on trying separating me from him, I have full confidence in you regarding that matter."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Or am I wrong?" Aya asked in a cutesy way.

"Ghhhhhaaaanghh… No, you're not wrong. Until that hulk really hurts you, I won't lift a finger, I told you that already."

"So anyway," Elwyn interrupted. "We still have almost an hour so…"

"Okay, good night," Aya said and closed her eyes immediately.

"Like a damn mind reader," Elwyn said and laid on her back. "Night, Sieglinde."

"Yeah, night," Sieglinde said and tucked in to Aya's side.

 **0730 MSK**

 **Commander's bedroom**

"Would you look at that, you slept for over an hour," Katie said from Ellie's side.

"Looks like telling you about that order and your presence calmed me down… Go, you have to prepare breakfast. I have a feeling the supply delivery will be everything that we wanted."

"You mean that high tech whatchamacallit too?"

"Probably. This will be fun, I never used it myself."

"Me neither, courtesy of the glorious Soviet Union, helping its befriended Peoples Republic of Lehistan in not partaking in capitalistic, bourgeois technology."

"Bahahahahaha!" Ellie burst out in laughter, revealing her pearly white teeth. "Oh stop, Katie… Or I'll have to denounce you as a reactionary!" she said while trying to maintain a straight face.

"Yeah right, hahahaha! Okay, I'm going, try to get some more shuteye."

"Sure, I'll try. Just don't be too diligent in procuring kitchen hands," she winked.

"Ha, don't worry!"

Katie went on to the bedroom of the girls, and her eyes first made contact with Elwyn's empty bunk, and then she spotted out her, Aya, and Sieglinde in one bed, looking back at her curiously. She approached the three and asked, "Ain't the three of you a bit too friendly, hmm?"

"Nah, we're just keeping company," Elwyn responded.

"Whatever works. Come on, Elwyn, we're going to make breakfast."

"Nu-uh, I did my corvée," Elwyn replied with a sour face. "Get someone else to do slave labor."

"But I can't get Lily, damn you!"

"Nooooope…"

"Oh coooomeeee oooooon! It will be fun, and you know it."

"Yeah, sure, I still feel my fingers aching after yesterday's _fun_ …"

"God damn it… What's gotten into you?!"

"I want to have a break from kitchen duty, because I didn't sign up for it when I entered the army."

"Ugh… You know what, I'll…"

"I can go," Aya said suddenly.

"Oh, really?"

"Y-Yes."

"Hmmm… I was just about to order Elwyn to follow me, but a volunteer is a better worker than a slave."

"Whaaaat?!" Elwyn protested. "Humpf!" she puffed her cheeks and turned her back towards Katie.

"Jesus H. Christ…" Katie slammed her face with the palm of her hand. "Okay Aya, let's go. We'll leave princess Fits-a-lot here."

"J-Just a minute, I'll g-get ready."

"Sure, sure…"

Just as Aya stood up, Nami ran up to Katie and asked, "Oh, oh! Can I go too?! I haven't cooked with Aya in ages!"

"Be my guest, the more the merrier! Onwards!"

When the trio went out, Sieglinde asked, "So, why did you refuse so adamantly?"

"If I have to do it, I want to do it with Elizabeth…"

"Guess you three have developed some kind of specific atmosphere, hmm?"

"You could say so. And I can watch Liz while she's sleeping, in case she turns into the Human Torch."

"Really now, you could have just told Katie that. I have a feeling she would understand."

"And since when are you so empathic, huh?"

"It's not like I'm trying to be your friend or anything! Stop imagining things!" Sieglinde huffed and turned around.

 _"_ _Heh… I guess Sieglinde has a soft side after all… Maybe I should try to crack that outer shell of hers? Worth a try!"_

"Oh come on, don't be so fussy… I'll apologize to Katie once I have the occasion."

"As if it concerns me…" Sieglinde mumbled with a smile on her face.

Suddenly, she felt that she was tightly embraced from behind, and a whisper came to her ear.

"Want some girl on girl action?"

Sieglinde was so surprised that she couldn't produce a word, and Angela's curious stare wasn't helping either.

"Just kidding," Elwyn giggled and let her go. "But on the other hand, I never did it with a girl… Hmm…"

"Not now," Sieglinde said so quietly that Elwyn almost didn't register her voice.

 _"_ _Not now? Now would'ya look at that! I guess Sieglinde here also wants to experiment! I wonder if she's serious though…"_

 **Kitchen**

"So, my dear new kitchen hands, what can you cook?"

"Um… K-Karlslander… Fusojin… And some other stuff…" Aya enumerated.

"What she said," Nami grinned.

"So you both have the same skill set?"

"No, no, Aya is much better than me, but we exchanged knowledge when we were together."

"Did you learn something new since then?"

Both of them nodded.

"Well now… Wash your hands then, and let's proceed! Food won't make itself!"

"Oh, but I forgot to wake up Kola…" Aya sulked.

"Haha, he's a big boy, he'll manage. I just wonder what you were doing last night…" Katie mused.

Aya, with cheeks as red as the USSR flag, responded, "We w-were talking…"

"Talking? Your face tells me that you weren't _just_ talking."

"W-Well… W-We w-were k-k-kissing…"

"Oh, how was it?!" Nami interrupted.

"Nice…" Aya smiled faintly.

"I just hope you won't tell us tomorrow that today you were plowed like a field..."

Aya's mouth opened in shock and she couldn't say a single syllable in her defense.

"Hahaha! Okay, judging by your face it won't be today, or the day after tomorrow at least! Damn, let's get to that cooking, we have too many mouths to feed!"

 **Rhein-Main Air Base, Frankfurt**

"Hey, Lamar, got that flight path estimated already?" an Afro-Liberian man sitting in the pilot seat asked.

"Sure thing, mah nigga!" Lamar responded. "We'll be using a modified path from our previous run.

"But this time we're going alone, fuck…"

"Don't worry, brah, we'll make it! We always make it! A plane piloted only by black brothers can only be lucky, right, Shawn?"

"Yeah, I hear ya…" the third one in the cockpit said.

"We got a clear for taxying, my _black brothers_ ," the pilot smirked. "Let's get this over with."

 **Dining room**

Ellie was the first one to taste the food prepared by the new cooking team before everyone, as Elwyn had received her food a bit earlier, as she said she preferred to eat in the bedroom.

"You know what…" Ellie said making everyone tense. "This is so good, that I'm thinking about making the three of you the standard and immovable cooks."

"Oh my…" Aya gasped. "I… I don't know w-what to say…"

"Think about it you two, and give your answer to Katie. Having that out of the way, let's eat."

After everyone cleared their plates, but surprisingly, Elwyn came into the dining room, walked up to Aya and whispered, "You can go now, I have to talk with Katie."

"O-Okay…"

Aya could only walk five meters, and Katie asked, "Oh, where are you going?"

"I'm replacing her," Elwyn said adamantly. "Nami, can you leave us for a minute or two?"

Nami looked at Katie, who in turn said, "Leave us, I think this is personal."

"Already gone!" Nami cheered and ran out.

"So, what is this about?" Katie asked whilst sitting on the edge of a table. "Is this about what happened earlier?"

"Yes, and also the reason why I wanted to eat in the bedroom."

"Oh? You have my interest, Elwyn."

"I refused to go cook with you so I could watch over Liz. I refused to eat with all of you, so I could watch over Liz," Elwyn calmly explained. "Seeing your puzzled face, I'll explain. It's because of my speed, more precisely, about my Final Art. If anything happened, I would use it to prevent anybody, Elizabeth included, from harm. So… Sorry for being such a stubborn oaf, but that's why."

"You… You did it all because you wanted to protect Lily?" Katie asked with a shaky voice. "But why?"

"That epic fail with Steve also put a strain on my so called _friendship_ with my squadmates. Literally, everyone knew what happened before I got back to base. How? The fuck should I know… Nobody took me seriously after that incident; I was the target of many venomous jokes and pranks… But when I came here, hope filled me anew. First Aya opened up to me, then slowly everyone else, more or less. Bah, even Sieglinde! But thanks to Liz being punished alongside me, we came very close to each other… You could say that only after a few days, we're BFF's already… That's why, Katie."

"Daaaaaaaawwww…" Katie hugged the Liberian tightly. "Thank you, Elwyn… And I wanted to lash out on you… I'm sorry."

"Nah, I should've explain it, instead of going bipolar on you."

"Well, yeah, you could," Katie smiled. "Okay, Aya and Nami - stop listening already and come in!" she shouted all of a sudden.

The two mentioned entered the room with apologetic faces.

"Come closer you two, I want to ask something."

Slowly, they came closer, and Katie asked, "So, what would you say to calling me by my given name, Nami?"

Nami looked content, but nonetheless, she cautiously asked, "What earned me such a privilege?"

"Well, you see, if my subordinates deserve it, they deserve it," she shrugged. "You deserved it by showing me you are a fabulous cook, besides being a capable fighter. So, deal?"

"Deal, Katie!" Nami cheered.

"Bahahah! Now, how about that proposal Ellie gave you?"

"What proposal?" Elwyn asked.

"She wants the two to be the permanent cooks beside me."

"Fuck no! Liz and I will do it!"

"Hoho! Now this is rich! What say you, Nami?"

"How about we take turns? Everyone should take turns, even the girls beside us."

"You know what? You're a damn genius. We'll be rotating on a meal basis, so that's three turns each day."

"I think I can go with that…" Elwyn mumbled. "Aya, can you go back to watching Liz?"

"S-Sure!"

"Come on, Nami; let's help Katie clean up this mess."

"I don't know what we were waiting for, heehee…"

"Seriously, you guys are the best…" Katie sighed.

 **1120 MSK**

 **10000 meters ASL**

 **Dutybound-1**

"Only bout ten minutes left, and we're safe," Lamar said.

"Aw shit, you had to jinx it!" Shawn yelled. "Mother fucker! An HB-4 is on our tail!"

"HB-4?!" Barnes shouted confused. "But that thing can get into range within five minutes! Lamar!"

"On it!" Lamar responded and started switching channels. "Mayday, mayday! This is Dutybound-1, inbound for the Lebyazhye Airbase! There's an HB-4 type Neuroi chasing us from the west, I repeat…"

 **Lebyazhye Airbase**

 **Commander's office**

"Immediately!' Ellie shouted and slammed the receiver. She quickly ran up to the PA panel and shouted, "Girls, our supply plane is being chased by an HB-4! Katie, Aya, Shinobu, Nami, and Elsa – sortie immediately!"

 **Gym**

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Shinobu cursed. "Let's go, everyone! Don't bother undressing; just throw your warm clothes over your gym attire!"

"Hey, I'm the boss here!" Katie protested. "What she said!"

"Heh…" Shinobu smiled and she ran off with the rest.

 **Hangar**

"Everyone take your heaviest equipment!" Katie commanded. "HB-4's aren't child play; we need to destroy it before it can either start firing beams or dropping bombs!"

"Woah, then I'm taking my L7!" Nami cheered.

"I won't be worse!" Elsa grinned while looking at her own cannon.

"I will borrow the BK-27," Aya said while looking at Nami.

"Sure thing, Aya."

"I'll take something special, heheh…" Katie snickered.

"I guess Nagareboshi will have a good time," Shinobu grinned while patting the hilt of her magic sword.

Yet again, while loading ammo, Katie saw that Nami hooked the black cylinder to the ammo rack on the cannon.

 _"_ _Maybe there's a chance I'll see what's this all about…"_

She herself pulled out a bandolier with bottle shaped rockets and put in on her back.

"Oh, I saw those before!" Elsa shouted.

"Don't spoil it for those who didn't," Katie winked and pulled out an RPG-7V from another crate.

Thirty seconds later, she and everyone else were already flying out of the hangar. They all rushed quickly towards the west, and after two minutes, they saw the plane chased by an enormous Neuroi.

"Dutybound-1, the cavalry is here," Katie said through the transponder. "Run towards the base, we're taking over."

"Much obliged, girls," she heard a deep male voice.

The witches flew behind the plane and towards the enemy.

"Fire when ready, everyone!" Katie commanded, and immediately, Aya opened fire from her lent revolver cannon.

The 27-millimeter rounds started flying en masse towards the enemy, hitting it one after another. The enemy retaliated with a barrage of beams, but Aya dodged them swiftly and flew quickly to the right. Some of the beams however had to be blocked by the shields of the rest.

"Aya, damn you!" Katie yelled. "Use your brain!"

"She is," Shinobu said. "Look, ma'am."

Katie now saw that the Neuroi started focusing on Aya, which gave a perfect tactical opportunity.

"Fire into the broadside of the enemy!"

"Roger that!" Nami cheered and pressed the trigger on her cannon, and a 105-millimeter HEAT-T round left its barrel, leaving an iridescent yellow tracer before it finally made a hole in the side of the enemy.

"Me too!" Elsa joyed and a 120-millimeter MPAT round quickly found its way near the same spot Nami's round did.

"Why don't let me out of the fun!" Shinobu shouted and drew Nagareboshi, starting her chant.

In the meantime, Katie closed the distance to the enemy and shot from her RPG. She managed to plant a hit where the girls made holes, and the aluminum powder inside the warhead detonated perfectly, making a wild explosion once it was ignited.

"REPPUZAN!" Shinobu shout roared and released her magical attack so that it cut the enemy almost perfectly in half. "Shit, I missed the core!"

"No problem, I see it!" Nami mused and opened the top half of the black container.

It was full of ball bearings, golden and with a five centimeter diameter each. She took one of the bearings, closed the container, kissed the item she held, and after taking a wind up that an ace baseball player would approve, she threw it. The bearing glowed only for a split second before it left her hand, and after another split second, the Neuroi core was pierced. The enemy crumbled into flakes, and both Katie and Elsa looked amazed at the Fusojin.

"Wow, was that your Final Art?" Elsa asked with eyes sparkling.

"Yup! It's called Mass Drive!"

"What Drive?"

"Mass Drive. You know, mass, velocity, physics…"

"I suck at physics…"

"Well, I do to, to an extent, heh… Anyways, it works like the opposite of my inherent magic."

"So instead of making stuff lighter, you make it heavier?" Katie asked.

"Uhum! If I throw a ball bearing using my Final Art, it works almost like a railgun!"

"Sssssshhh!" Elsa tried silence Nami.

"Owowowow…" Aya bent in half while grabbing her head.

"What's happening?!" Nami asked after she flew up.

"No… It's nothing, Nami… Nothing…" Aya responded between heavy breaths.

Suddenly, Nami was pulled on the collar forcibly, and she was confronted with a frown from Elsa.

"Ara?"

"Don't use that word around Aya, please."

"Ra…"

"That one!" Elsa quickly interrupted her.

"Oh ok…"

"If she's in battle mode, she can be forcibly reverted back to her normal self… That trauma is still rooted deeply in her consciousness…"

"Oh… Ah, Elsa… I wanted to ask about those… _modes_ of Aya…"

"I'll tell you later," Elsa smiled. "If we have time after unloading the plane," she grinned further.

"Ah, yes, maybe we'll get some new toys!"

"Kay, girls, let's go back to base," Katie said firmly. "Aya, you did a great job luring the Neuroi towards you."

"Thank you…" Aya said while trying to maintain her composure.

Shinobu flew up to Aya quickly and embraced her with one hand, "C'mon, Aya, we'll go together."

"Heh, sure. Maybe we'll get to meet the pilots?"

"If they didn't LAPES it, then maybe… Hmmm… Liberian pilots… I heard they are such hunks…" Shinobu dreamed away.

Aya giggled and said, "What about Grandpa Toshiro?"

"What about… Heeeey! You tricky trickster you!" Shinobu pinched Aya's cheek.

"Come on already…" Katie sighed.

"Coming!" the two shouted in accord and all of them flew towards the base in formation.

* * *

 **Nami's balls (hehe…) are made of titanium, just to be clear.**

 **And no, Lamar is not a crossover from GTA V lol**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	25. Chapter 25 – Preparing for training

Chapter 25 – Preparing for training

* * *

 **Dutybound-1**

"Ah shit!" Lamar shouted. "The hydraulics for the cargo ramp are busted!"

"Well, there goes the air drop…" Shawn mumbled and looked at the pilot. "So?"

"We're landing; the door can be opened manually on the ground with some "persuasion." Start calling them already."

"Sure thing, boss! 777th, we have problems with hydraulics and we request a landing permission."

"Request granted," a female voice responded almost immediately. "Coffee, tea?"

"Um… Three teas, if it's not a bother, ma'am."

"Roger that," the voice responded with a hint of sarcasm.

"Now this will be fun..." Barnes said.

 **Gym**

"Elwyn, could you be so nice as to make some tea for three of your compatriots? That's an order by the way," Ellie's voice reached the training girls.

"Guess we have to stop training anyway," Sieglinde said. "Nobody goes bathing yet, I suppose we'll have to unload the transport."

A collective moan sounded around the gym.

"Guess I'll be going already…" Elwyn grumbled and trotted out of the gym.

Once she got into the kitchen, she put a kettle on the stove, and then she rummaged the cupboards, finding a big vacuum flask.

"Can I have a tea too?" Ellie said while leaning over the kitchen counter.

"Ugh, whatever…" Elwyn mumbled and looked for a cup.

"What, discontent about my order?"

"Kind of… The training was nice to be honest…"

"Ah, sorry for interrupting then. But look at it the other way: you'll get to talk to your compatriots."

"I don't know if I should be so optimistic like you, ma'am. I don't feel like talking to men I don't know…"

"I heard you had some… bad experience in the past."

"Words fly fast in this unit it seems…" Elwyn sighed. "Yeah, I had, so now I'm a bit cold-shoulderish towards guys."

"I see…"

"But don't worry, ma'am, an order is an order," Elwyn said, and at the same time, the kettle started whistling.

Quickly, Elwyn poured the boiling water both into the cup and into the flask.

"Last thing I want is being punished for insubordination. I wonder how Liz is doing…"

"Worried about your friend?"

"Yeah…"

"Then go and take a look if you want, the tea needs time."

"Nah, the rest are probably already there as we speak. And the tea can _mature_ in the flask, so if you'll excuse me, ma'am…"

"Ah, yes, go, the plane should land any second now."

Elwyn sealed the flask and took three cups, three spoons and a tin with sugar with herself.

 **Outside Dutybound-1**

The girls were now escorting the C-130, flying on both its side and over it.

"I think I'll take a look at the pilots," Shinobu said with a wry smile to Aya.

"Eheheh, just don't overdo it."

Shinobu zipped forward and looked back into the cockpit. The three crewmen started waving towards her. The Fusojins eyes went wide and she fell back to Aya.

"Ni…Ni…Ni… Black guys!"

"Oh? First time seeing black people?" Aya wondered.

"Yeah. There go my dreams of square jawed hunks with blonde hair…" she sighed.

"You can't have everything," Aya giggled and patted the sulking Shinobu on the back. "Oh, look, we're back at the base already."

"They'll sure have a rough landing on that snow…" Katie noticed. "Shame they didn't state that they'll be landing sooner, we could've cleared the runway."

"Who would?" Aya asked.

"Your dear Kola, who else? Plow down and thrust forward!" Aya blushed slightly hearing that, to which Katie smirked. "Say, Aya, thinking about going down with Kola?"

Aya's eyes widened considerably and her mouth was making movements like a fish pulled out of water.

"Don't tease her, ma'am…" Shinobu sighed. "I already noticed she's dead afraid of the notion of having sex…"

"Really now? Oh, sorry, Aya…"

"N-No, I didn't tell you…"

"But you did make out with him, right?"

"Y-Yeah… B-But that was d-different!"

"Guess going all out is something every girl has some qualms to do… Shinobu, would you give yourself entirely to the man you love?"

"Uh… Well… I don't know to be honest…" Shinobu pondered with red cheeks. "B-But how about you, ma'am?!"

"Me? I had my share of men," Katie smiled mysteriously. "But that wasn't love… That was just… Coitus. I just wanted to get it out of my system," she shrugged.

"I see…" both Aya and Shinobu murmured.

"It's rare to see girls so… decent in these times. I like that about you two," Katie grinned.

"Thanks…" the two mumbled again.

Suddenly, it struck Aya, "Katie, let's boom j-just above the runway!"

"Huh? Why?"

"I-if the five of us f-fly at supersonic s-speed over the snow…"

"Ooooooh… Intriguing concept… Okay, let's do it, the plane will land in thirty seconds! Elsa, Nami, did you hear us?"

The two gave a thumb up back to Katie.

"Good! Wedge formation and let's go! Starting from the very beginning of the runway!"

The girls formed a wedge and descended sharply towards the ground, stopping their descent only two meters above the snow cover. The white tuft started swirling all around them, and after they've ascended, they saw that snow height below the place they've flown over has been considerably reduced, with the runway peeking through at some points.

"Brilliant idea, Aya!" Katie slammed her on the back cheerfully.

"Ugh… Heh… Thanks…"

"Now, let's land ourselves and then, Aya, Elsa and Nami will help unloading."

"Roger!" the four beside Katie answered and they zipped to the hangar.

 **Outside the main building**

"Woah, that was intense!" Elwyn cheered to herself. "Wonder if I can take one of the cars…"

"Of course you can," Kola's voice rang behind her back.

"Wah, you scared me!"

"Whatever. Here, I'll drop you off at the plane."

"And you're doing this because?"

"Because Ellie told me to help move stuff if needed."

"Ah, good… Then I'll bite."

"Hop into the truck then. Unless… You want to…"

"Do I ever!" Elwyn ran quickly towards the ZiL and jumped into the cabin in one fluent move.

 _"_ _What enthusiasm… Certified petrol head ahoy!"_

When he boarded the truck, Elwyn suddenly asked, "So, any _plans_ regarding Aya?"

"What plans, comrade?" Kola smirked.

"Oh shut up! It's enough that one commie is doing the comrade shtick!"

"So you think I'm a commie? How dead wrong could you be…" he sighed.

"Then what are you?"

"Let's say that the current political system in Orussia is far from my expectations…"

"Ah, okay… Sorry for calling you a commie…"

"No problem, Elwyn. And I think I have an idea what you meant with "plans." I can assure you that until Aya lets me, I won't do anything myself."

"Won't you now? Well aren't you a damn gentleman…" she shot him a look of distrust.

"I see what I have to deal with, that's all. I can't play the role of the average man around Aya, can I?"

"That would be a bit… over the top in Aya's case, at least according to my observations…"

"Those glasses probably help, huh?"

"Oh shush, that's only for my nearsightedness!"

"Heh… Anyway, run the damn engine already, the plane has landed," Kola pointed at the big bird on the runway.

"Oh, crap!" she shouted and turned the ignition key.

When the plane finally positioned itself and turned off the engines, Elwyn drove up beside the cockpit, and after climbing on the roof of the truck, she started waving. After a few seconds, an Afro-Liberian man looked at her from the cockpit and waved back.

 _"_ _Black guy, huh? Surprising. I wonder why they're not opening the cargo ramp though?"_

Elwyn tried to show a cargo ramp opening to the man, but he signaled her that there's a malfunction and to wait five minutes. Elwyn shrugged and returned inside the truck.

"Glorious Liberian technology malfunctioning?" Kola asked sarcastically.

"Oh shut it… Everything will break down eventually, and from what I see, this plane is older than me."

After a minute, Elwyn heard a knock on the door. She opened it and saw Elsa, Nami, and Aya.

"Oh, what's up you three stooges?"

"You know why the plane is doing nothing?" Nami asked.

"Some kind of malfunction with the cargo ramp."

"Oh…"

"Want to come in?"

"Sure!" Nami cheered and squirmed inside, seating herself between Elwyn and Kola shamelessly.

"Emmm…" Elsa pondered. "Yeah, this will do!" she jumped in and sat on Nami's lap.

"Hoho, you sure like it comfortable, huh?" Nami asked.

"Heheh… Aya, come on, you can sit on Kola's lap!"

"O-O-Okay!" Aya jumped inside, squirmed amongst the seated and carefully sat on Kola's lap. "I-I hope I'm n-not disturbing…"

"No, you're not, Sweetie," Kola said softly

Aya blushed and tucked the left side of her face into his chest with a glad face.

"Daaaaawwww!" Elsa and Nami mused.

"Guess no love for me…" Elwyn sighed, but then Nami raked her in with her left hand.

"Hey, no moping! Nobody's excluded from the warm and fuzzy stuff when I'm around!"

"Damn… You're too good for me…" Elwyn muttered. "Let's wait for that damn cargo ramp to open…"

They waited only a minute, and then Kola saw that the cargo ramp was opening.

"Girls, it seems they mended that ramp."

"Ah, kay, I'm doing it." Elwyn snapped out of her blissful state and fired up the emgone.

She drove to the back of the plane, and then she backed up so that the truck would be as close as possible to the end of the ramp. When the ramp finally lowered itself in full, Elwyn said, "Okay everyone, let's jump out, and do our job."

"Come on, Aya, let's go," Kola said, obviously waking up the Karlslander from a short nap.

"Oh? Okay…" she yawned and opened the door.

Once everyone jumped out, Elwyn ran forward into the plane interior.

"Woaaaah, nice bit of cargo…" she said to herself as she approached the cockpit door.

She knocked on it, and received and "Come in!" as an answer. After opening the door, she saw three crew men, all dark skinned.

Elwyn cleared her throat and said, "Guys, let's keep this short. I have tea, and I was kinda forced to bring it to you," she said while shaking the bag with the items for the crew.

"And we didn't exactly want the tea, because your commander, or whoever it was, basically forced it on us," the man in the first pilots seat said.

"Hah, rich! Okay, let's get this over with."

Elwyn pulled out the cups, and poured the tea. She then pulled out the spoons and the sugar tin, and placed it near the cups.

"Have at it, _gentlemen,_ " she said with a crooked smile.

"Somebodies a tad grumpy it seems," the second pilot said as she stood up.

"I call it dark humor," she added with a grin.

"Ha! Never saw a white girl so feisty!" the third one shouted cheerfully. "What's your name, sistah?"

"Elwyn. My grandma was famous I guess."

"Oh do tell?"

"Shirley Yeager. That tell you anything, _brah_?"

"Daaaaayum! Now that's what I call ancestors!"

"Heh… Okay, chug down that tea already!" Elwyn shouted and looked back into the cargo hold.

Kola was carrying one crate himself, but the three girls were hauling so much that Kola would have to be three meters tall and a hundred percent muscle to do so. It was enough to load the truck in one go, but there was still more cargo to move.

"Well, looks like I'm needed…" Elwyn said. "I'll be back for the stuff, so don't you dare to fly off with it!"

"Yeah, yeah…" the second pilot waved her off.

Elwyn exited the cockpit and ran to the truck.

"Ah, Elwyn, I was about to holler," Kola said.

"You probably wanted to drive off and leave me with those guys alone, huh?"

"The thought hasn't crossed my mind," he said with a straight face.

"And pigs fly," Elwyn jumped into the cabin, and after seeing the rest of the girls jump onto the back, she started the engine and drove off the hangar.

"Drop off everything for now, I guess?" she asked the three jumping out of the back.

"Sure thing, we'll move everything later!" Nami responded.

Elwyn moved her gaze towards Kola and asked, "And what are you waiting for? A written invitation, RSVP?"

"You saw how the girls made short notice of the cargo, why should I even bother…"

"What kind of man are you…?" she sighed. "But… Heh, I guess Aya alone would be enough to move all that stuff."

"You know what? I remembered that I have something important to do. I'll be going now."

"I hope it's not a lame excuse, or I'll tell Aya on you."

"Oh don't worry, you'll be speechless by the time I finish…" Kola winked and jumped out of the cabin.

 _"_ _Speechless, eh? I wonder…"_

"K-Kola, where…" Aya's shy question rang in the cold air of the hangar.

"I have something else to do, sorry!"

"Ah, okay… Have f-fun!"

After slightly over a minute, Elwyn already was behind the C-130 again. While the girls ran to the cargo pallets, she went to the cockpit.

"Nice tea, thanks," the first pilot said.

"As I said…"

"Yeah, yeah, blah blah," the third guy interrupted her. "If you ain't cool with us niggaz, just tell us."

Elwyn furled her eyebrows as she silently packed everything to the bag.

"Believe me, where I come from, black people treat me like their own, so it's not about that," Elwyn responded a bit irritated.

"Gentlemen, stop nagging our dear compatriot," the first pilot said. "That's an order," the two other crew men immediately went silent. "Have a nice day," he continued. "And here's the shipping manifest."

"You too," Elwyn said with a small smile cracking on her face and took the manifest.

She looked out into the back and saw that nothing was present, except the girls waiting outside of the plane.

"The cargo bay is clear. Just give me ten seconds and you can all return home or wherever you're flying back."

"Roger Wilco."

Elwyn ran out of the plane, and just as her mental countdown finished, the ramp started going up.

"Come on, or we'll get a face load of snow once those engines start!" Elwyn hurried the rest to get onto the back of the truck.

They managed to escape the enormous blizzard cause by the propellers just in time. Upon arrival, the three beside Elwyn unloaded the crates.

"So, what do we got there?" Elsa asked.

The Liberian looked at the manifest and grinned like a lunatic.

"Ladies, we got so much stuff… Wow…"

"Then let's unload it!" Nami cheered. "Where to?"

"Near the Launch Units! Go go go!" Elwyn tried to motivate them, but totally unnecessary, as they were moving the crates as fast as possible.

Once all of them were in place, Elwyn asked, "Aya, why don't you do the honors?"

"O-Okay, will do!" she responded briskly and opened one of the crates.

She pulled out an M87, an AKS-74, and AKS-74UB, all painted neon orange with the exception of the iridescent red barrels.

"Paintball guns?"

"That's only part of the shipment," Elwyn said while correcting her glasses. "Get the crate next to it."

"S-Sure!"

Aya opened the chosen crate and she pulled out one of six identical boxes as well as a thin manual.

"MILES… Oh, is this…"

"Yup. That one box contains all the stuff that a trainee wears on him or herself. I'll go through the rest of the manifest quickly. We got paintball versions of all of our guns, and a week supply of ammo. We all got one full MILES set, with adapters for all our rifles and matching blank ammo. We also got a crapton of live ammo, and some provisions. Lastly, we's got an… ahem… electrical, generator powered…"

"…Gatling gun drum ammunition loader!" Elsa squealed from joy.

"Complete with two cans of juice…" Elwyn mumbled. "Okay, let's report back, I wonder what our dear commander will set up for us."

This time, Elsa was sitting on the far right, and Aya was on Nami's lap.

"You sure like your lap sitting…" Elwyn sighed and drove them off back to the main building.

The first thing that Elwyn noticed was that Kola was doing something on the roof. She looked at him, but at the same time, he looked at her, and he shouted, "Nothing to see here, carry on!"

"What in tarnation are you doing up there?!"

"Enjoying the damn view! Now shoo!"

"Hey, Elwyn, come on!" Elsa waved her in.

"Yeah, whatever…" she muttered and ran after the Karlslander.

When they entered the building, Nami asked, "Who's going to the commander?"

"I c-can go…" Aya said.

"Ah, go then, Ayaya!"

"Heehee… I'm going then."

"Here," Elwyn said and gave her the manifest.

"T-Thanks."

Aya trotted to the door leading to the commander's office, and after knocking on it, she heard, "Whoever is outside, get in."

She opened the door, and peeked inside while covering her face with the MILES manual and the shipping manifest.

"Oh, a mysterious visitor! Come closer, traveler!"

Aya giggled and walked up to the desk, still _concealed_.

"My oh my, who could that be? Reveal yourself, dear anonymous traveler!"

Aya burst out into laughter and presented the papers she held forward to Ellie.

"Nothing like a good laugh… Okay, Aya, what do we have here? A manifest and… Oh, a manual for the MILES system? You take care of it; I heard you're a geek."

"Um… I'm n-not a geek, ma'am…"

"Okay, electronics enthusiast. Better?"

Aya nodded with a cutesy smile glued to her face.

"You have thirty minutes to read this, and then we'll finally have some training with our Strikers. Off you go, Sweetie."

"B-But…"

"Oh, what's the matter? Tell me."

"W-We need a bath…"

"Ah, yes, you were in the middle of training… Okay, one hour it is."

"Of c-course, ma'am," Aya turned around and exited the room.

 _"_ _It seems that feigning ignorance and covering up the truth are so rooted into me that it's natural… Eh… We're screwed so deeply… I wish there was at least a glimmer of hope!"_

Suddenly, the phone rang. With trembling hands, she picked up the receiver and said, "Lieutenant Colonel Horbaczewski…"

 **Bedroom**

Aya closed the door behind her, and she ran up to her bed, gathering all the needed bathing supplies and clothes she needed for changing.

"We're officially taking a bath?" Sieglinde asked.

"Yes, we're training in an hour."

"Good… The laundry will be done by the time we finish…"

"How pragmatic," Elwyn said. "Say, Aya, why do you have the manual with you?"

"Oh, I'm s-supposed to figure this out…"

"Well, if the commander picked you, then it's you. Ah, right, bath time. Whew, I feel sticky!"

"And I bet you smell accordingly," Sieglinde grinned wryly.

"Ohoho, a comedian we have here!" Elwyn waved her hands, and then she looked towards Tatiana. "Hey, commie, can you watch over Liz here?"

"I don't have anything better to do anyway, comrade."

"And that's the spirit!" Elwyn shouted and started rummaging through her belongings.

Twenty minutes later, Aya lied down on her bed, and she started analyzing the manual she was entrusted with a speed that intrigued the bystanders.

"Say, is Aya always reading so fast?" Giulietta asked Elsa quietly.

"Yeah, she's so fast that I wouldn't even remember a single sentence from every page…"

"Would'ya look at that…"

After only two minutes, Aya dropped the slightly over thirty-page manual on the bed beside her.

"Now I know everything, but that was a special general purpose manual…" she reported to Angela. "We have to figure out how to install the adapters ourselves… Bother…"

"Then you, Elsa, and Sieglinde will have a field day it seems," Angela smirked.

"I guess so… Ehhh… Maybe we should go already, since it could take some time?"

"Good idea. Let's get dressed and move out. Who's coming with us? We have one seat free."

"I can go," Aina said. "I know a thing or two about weapon maintenance."

"Fine by me. Just don't drop dead all of a sudden."

"I'll try," she smiled and started putting on her winter coat.

* * *

In five minutes, the Karlslanders plus Aina found themselves in the hangar. Aya and Elsa opened the crates with the adapters and the mounting started. All flash hiders, silencers or anything related to the barrel had to go. No particular weapon posed a problem for the combined forces of the five, and they finished just before the rest, including Ellie, arrived.

"Now, now, great work, girls. Aya, care to explain how all of this works?"

"Um… Okay… So… T-There are receivers on these v-vests and when you get _hit_ by a l-laser, they b-beep…" Aya said while pointing at a vest spiked with rectangular receivers in her hand.

"Pretty simple I think. Katie, I guess you'll have to be the judge, since there are no visual indicators that anyone got hit."

"Yeah, leave it to me and my inherent magic, heheh…"

"Oh, and we probably impose some special rules…" Ellie pondered. "I know! You can shoot only from fifty meters, and after one hit its curtains. Aya, prepare the vests with Elwyn, and the rest prepare blank ammunition for your weapons. Be ABSOLUTELY sure that you have loaded blanks. If there is an accident involving live ammo during training, I will expel you from the unit, understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" everyone responded.

Elwyn approached Aya and asked, "So, Aya? What should I do?"

"Hook up the b-batteries and that's it…"

"Pretty easy. Come on, we both have belt fed weapons, so it will be a bother if we have to load them with blanks manually."

"Right, r-right!"

Aya started unpacking the crates one by one, while Elwyn at the same time hooked up the batteries to the vests. Then, they quickly ran over to their respective Launch Units. Elwyn took her M60E2 and she unloaded the belt she had in it and pulled the charging handle so the chambered round would fall out. After that she went to the big crate with dummy rounds and picked out an 7.62 NATO belt. She looked at the rest while loading it, and saw that everyone was finishing, so she hurried up.

"Okay, I see that you're all ready!" Ellie said loudly. "Okay, the training will go as follows. You will form a circle of a two-kilometer radius. Each of you will be on the edge of said circle, and when I give a sign, you will start the engagement. Rules stated previously apply. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"So mount your Strikers, and let's go!"

Everyone, including Katie and Ellie mounted their Strikers.

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	26. Chapter 26 – Pew Pew Ba-Bang!

Chapter 26 – Pew Pew Ba-Bang!

* * *

Once they were airborne, the COs helped form the circle, and then the two fell back.

"Ready? Go!" the commander yelled through the comms, and suddenly something incredible happened.

"All vests except for Aya's have gone off!" Katie shouted dumbfounded.

"What?! Impossible!" Ellie joined into the shouting, looking at the confused witches.

"All targets neutralized," Aya said in a monotone voice.

"Aya, marvelous work, but you're excluded from further training. It seems you don't need it…" Ellie sighed. "The rest of you, wait a minute."

Ellie waited a few seconds herself, and Aya flew in before her, with a face that showed both confusion and shame.

"Now, Aya, I know you are good, but that was off the charts."

"I'm sorry…" Aya said quietly.

"That was impressive, but the rest does want to learn something. Can you try not to disable everyone using your time dilution?"

"I d-doubt the other m-me will listen…"

"Other you?"

"Oh… Oh… I'm sorry I d-didn't explain…"

"Do it later, okay? Ugh… Elwyn?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"You're forbidden from using your Final Art."

A heavy sigh crossed the radio waves and Elwyn said, "Okay ma'am. Oh! Dam… I mean, dagnabbit, Liz is unattended!"

"She's right!" Katie snapped her fingers.

"Aya, don't take it personally, but you're a bit too strong for training like that. But I have another job for you."

"Y-Yes?"

"Can you look out for Katie's cousin?"

"O-Of course, ma'am!" Aya nodded.

"Good," Ellie smiled. "Dismissed."

Aya made way towards the hangar.

 _"_ _Aaaaaaawwww… The other me took it totally seriously… What a boooother…"_

At the same time, a shrouded figure with golden hair peeking out from under the cloak was watching them from below.

 _"_ _Aya, Aya… Still broken, but as just as powerful."_

* * *

Aya landed in the hangar, mounted all of her weaponry, and ran off to the main building. Upon entering, she heard somebody whistling a familiar melody.

 _"_ _Katyusha?"_

She went towards the source of the whistling, and she ended up peeking into the dining room.

"I can see you," Kola said.

"Wah!" Aya shouted scared. "How?!"

"You're reflected in the TV screen, dummy."

"Oh… Makes sense… W-What are you d-doing?"

"I'm installing the satellite receiver. I finished with the dish itself and the servomotor to move it around. Thankfully, the coaxial cable was already laid into the wall, since this was the _common room_ so to speak when the base was used by the army."

"Oh… N-Nice of you…"

"I guess the Liberian will have a nice time, heh… Aren't you training?"

"N-No… The other me is too aggressive and too good…"

"Sucks I guess," he sighed.

"I-I'm going to s-supervise Elizabeth now…"

"I still have work for at least a quarter of an hour here, but maybe later I can _frequent_ you."

"Heehee… O-Okay, I'll be waiting."

Aya moved on to the bedroom, where she sat beside the sleeping Elizabeth.

 _"_ _She looks so peaceful… It's hard to imagine that she has such a dangerous power in her… On the other hand, looking at me… Ehhhh…"_

Shyly, she moved her hand and started stroking Elizabeth's hair, which was now let loose, because her bands were burned during her _awakening_.

 _"_ _Heh, this feels nice… I wonder if she's_ getting _it? And why is she so warm… My, she's getting warmer by the second!"_

"K-K-Katie!" she shouted through comms.

"What?!"

"Elizabeth is g-g-getting h-hotter by the s-second!"

"Oh fuck! You can spank me later, Ellie, now's not the time! Dump her into a snowdrift now! I'm coming!"

"R-Roger!"

Aya quickly grabbed the Britannian and diluted time. She ran up to the window, opened it wide, and quickly threw Elizabeth into the nearest snowdrift like a sack of potatoes. She jumped after her and saw that the snow around her gradually started melting.

 _"_ _Oh my oh my oh my… I know!"_

Aya started shoveling the snow with her bare hands and throwing it onto Elizabeth. Suddenly, she saw Katie flying. The vice commander hovered just a few meters behind Elizabeth, and she increased the revs of her engine, moving the snow onto her cousin much more effectively than Aya. She then shut down the engines and jumped down onto the snow, letting her Striker fall down by itself. Katie quickly dug a ventilation hole for Elizabeth and she turned back to Aya.

"You're a godsend, Aya!" Katie cheered and hugged the Karlslander.

"O-Oh… R-Really?"

"Yes! The crisis ain't averted yet, but thanks to you overseeing Lily, we could avoid a fire inside the building. Now, I'll stay here, and you go back, kay?"

"W-What about the Striker?"

"Errr… I'll tell one of the girls to pick it up when they'll return from training, don't worry. And thanks again!"

"Heh… S-Sure…"

Aya jumped back inside the bedroom and closed the window without locking it.

 _"_ _C-C-Collllllld!"_

She quickly ran over to her bunk, and just pulling the boots of her legs she jumped under the blanket.

 _"_ _Weeeeheeeeeeee… So waaaaarm!"_

Aya dozed off into a nap almost immediately.

 **Outside**

 **Ten minutes later**

Katie waited nervously as the snow melted away, but then, she saw as her cousin started moving. She immediately dug her out and jumped inside the building with her through the window.

"Mmmm… Katie?" she opened her eyes slowly. "What… Where am I?"

"Long story short, you're in my hands."

"Oh… Let me lie down, I'm a bit woozy…"

"Sure, sure."

Katie moved her cousin and placed her on her bed, covering her with a blanket.

"Thanks, Kaśka… Ugh, my heaaad… What happened…?"

"Remember yesterday?"

"Um… The last thing I remember is this intense heat when you slapped something on my forehead and… A total blackout…"

"Good…" Katie pursed her lips.

"What happened now?"

"Your power had to stabilize, and I had to cool you down or you would burst into flames. But now you're safe."

"Oh… It's good to hear… But… Won't I be a danger?"

"No, no… Of course, you won't… The seal that was placed on you also stabilized the magic inside of you, so now it's totally dependent on your will."

"How nice…" Elizabeth yawned. "I'm hungry…"

"Be right back! I'll fetch you a tea and sandwiches!"

"Heehee… Thanks…"

Katie ran out as if chased by pestilence, and at the same time Elizabeth noticed Aya bundled up in her bed.

 _"_ _Hmmm… I noticed that the girls are clinging to Aya in her bed all the time… Might as well try."_

Elizabeth slowly, wobbly, but with great perseverance moved to Aya's bunk, and she slid under the blanket behind her and embraced her with one arm.

"Mmmmhmmm… So warm…" the Britannian mumbled gladly.

"E-E-Elizabeth?" Aya asked scared.

"Mhm, it's me…"

"Are y-you okay?"

"Yes… I'm a bit weak and hungry… But I'll manage…"

"Okay…"

"You're warm, you know? And cuddly… Come on, turn around."

"O-Okay…"

Aya slowly turned around, and she looked into Elizabeth's black eyes. "I have a feeling of calmness when I'm around you, you know?"

"R-Really?"

"Yes," Elizabeth smiled.

"Oh my…"

"Heehee, you're worrying too much, Aya. The weight of the world doesn't necessarily have to lay on your shoulders, right?"

"W-Well... I g-guess not…"

"Can I just lay by your side a bit? I'm a bit cold…"

"Um… Y-Yeah… C-Considering the circumstances…."

"Hmm? What circumstances?"

"You… You were d-dumped into snow…"

"Oh, that? Heehee, well, yes, I was…"

"Lily! I have food and drink for you!" Katie stormed the room suddenly, making the two first twitch and then hide under the blanket. "Huh, Lily? Where are you?"

"What are we doing actually?" Elizabeth snickered quietly.

"I… I don't know?"

"There you are!" Katie shouted and pulled the blanket off the two.

"Heheh, hi Cousin." Elizabeth laughed dryly.

"Ehhh, Lily, what are you doing walking around already?"

"I felt a bit cold…" she mumbled.

"Oh… Okay, no problem then. Aya, you won't protest if Lily will eat in your bed?"

"A-Actually, I wanted to see Kola."

"Ah, go then! Your man should feel needed, heheh…"

Aya jumped out of the bed, put on her boots, and ran off out of the room.

"So, how are you feeling?" Katie asked.

"A bit better, thanks for asking."

"We should try to use your magic today, Lily. The sooner you get the grasp of it, the better."

"I'll see later… Although…"

"No! Don't even try anything! I forbid it!" Katie ordered steadfastly.

"S-Sorry…"

"That's exactly how our grandmothers burned their house down…"

"Yes… What a sad story…" Elizabeth sighed.

"Now, now, don't be so gloomy and start munching down, or no magic training, okay?"

"Sure," Elizabeth smiled warmly and started eating.

 **Dining hall**

"Now, I just have to turn on the tube and adjust the antenna position remotely…" Kola muttered and proceeded to turn on the TV, but at the last second, he saw a familiar person sneaking towards him, reflected in the kinescope. This time, he didn't react.

Aya jumped onto his back and covered his eyes.

"I've gone blind! Woe is me!" Kola shouted dramatically and stood up suddenly, causing Aya fall off. "It's a miracle!"

"Hahahaha!" Aya laughed loudly from behind him. "Y-You're so funny!"

"I aim to please. So, you gave the two some time alone I guess?"

"Yeah…"

"Nice of you. But now I have to do the menial job of setting up all the channels and everything so…"

"Oh, c-can I help?"

"And how can you help, Sweetie?"

"Heehee… Well… I still r-remember the parameters of most channels…"

"Aaaah, good! Then you give me the numbers, and I'll set everything up, kay?"

"Okay!" Aya cheered.

 **Hangar**

 **20 minutes later**

"You sure gave us a ride, ma'am…" Elwyn sighed from exhaustion. "So many rounds that we had to restock twice…"

"The more, the better," she replied. "And now I have a really good overview of your abilities… Yeees…"

"Not my Final Art…" Elwyn sulked.

"It would have ended the same as with Aya, so please, stop sulking, Elwyn."

"Yes ma'am…"

"However, I'm disappointed at your performance, Marie," Ellie looked at the Gallian, and everyone followed suit. "Not even one hit. What's wrong? Can you tell all of us, or do you need some private time with me?"

"It's that… I have very little actual combat experience… And even on the shooting range I'm mediocre…" Marie squirmed around, trying to look as small as possible. "And… And I was being trained using the MAT-49…"

"Oh my, but that weapon is ancient!" Ellie shouted. "Let me see… You know what? I'll train you in the fine art of shooting an automatic rifle myself!"

"W-What?!"

"You heard me right. I'll help you become a better shooter, a crackshot even if it's necessary."

"I'm not worthy!"

"Yes you are, Marie," Ellie smiled brightly. "Our first training will be done after dinner."

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

"Now, I guess our MVP today would be Sieglinde. Great job!"

"Thank you, ma'am," she answered briefly.

"All in all, this was fun to watch. Even funnier than paintball guns. Now, hmmm… Which pair could help Katie doing dinner… Ah, I know! Sieglinde and Giulietta, you two are up!"

"Why with her?!" Sieglinde protested immediately.

"Yeah, why?!" Giulietta added to that.

"Exactly because of that attitude towards each other. You'll work on something together and maybe you'll let out some steam."

"Yes ma'am…" the two mumbled.

"Now, let's go back to the main building. Don't rush; leave your equipment in an orderly manner."

 **Dining hall**

"I guess we're finished," Kola said with satisfaction. "You sure were a help, Aya. Not only did you give me all the parameters, but you also noted everything for later use."

"Oh, please…" she blushed.

"I could kiss you, but I don't know if you wouldn't react weirdly."

"K-K-Kiss! B-But!"

"See? You're reacting weirdly already, heheh…"

"Oh… W-Well… A quick peck…"

"Can do," Kola moved in closer. "Which one?"

Aya showed him her left cheek and she closed her eyes. He planted his lips delicately on her slightly rosy cheek and said, "Now, done. Didn't hurt, did it?"

"Heehee… It was nice…"

"So, want to watch something?"

"Hmmm… M-Maybe the Liberians have s-some cartoons on?"

"Okay, fine by me," Kola said and looked at the cheat sheet. "This really will ease up things…"

He switched the channel with the remote for the receiver, and then he turned the two dials on the satellite dish servomotor remote, and after a few seconds, a certain maid-dressed, bulky robot appeared on screen.

"Oh, The Jetsons!" Aya cheered.

 _"_ _A demon in battle, a total kid outside… Well, if it fits, it sits."_

 **Corridor**

Elwyn ran forward, but at the junction, she stopped abruptly. She perked her ears up, fishing out a familiar tune.

 _"_ _It can't be…"_

She quickly ran towards the dining hall, and while she was at it, she heard, "Awwwww, it ended already…"

 _"_ _It can't be!"_

Elwyn ran into the dining hall, and she caught the last glimpse of the Jetsons ending credits. She fell on her knees and asked, "How…?"

"Your superiors made it possible," Kola said. "Here, look at this," he presented the sheet with the channel data to Elwyn.

She took it, looked scanned it from top to bottom and suddenly, she hugged Kola saying, "Thanks!"

"Oh, h-hey!" Aya shouted with a discontented look.

"What, you helped too?"

"Y-Yes, but tha… Whaaa!" Aya shouted surprised as Elwyn hugged her too.

"Thanks!" Elwyn cheered.

"Oh… W-Whatever now…" Aya mumbled.

"Now what is this all about, ah?" Ellie asked from the doorway.

Elwyn disappeared into thin air and appeared hugging the silver haired Leh.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"My, my, my, what exuberant thanks…" Ellie giggled. "But I have to warn you that if I see or hear wars about who watches what, I _will_ throw out the TV out of the nearest window. Understood?"

"Yes! Of course! Won't happen ever!"

"Same goes for rage fits and random swearing."

"Of course!"

"Now scoot, you can watch your television now."

"What's happening here?" Sieglinde asked and saw Elwyn running around like a lunatic with a chair over her head. "Something changed here…"

"We've got satellite now, Sigi," Aya cleared up her friend's confusion.

"Ah, yeah… Now I see it. Guess that's why Elwyn here is all giddy. Now I'll wait for Miss Dyke to return with the vice commander…"

"Oh, what's going on?" Aya asked.

"We'll be cooking together, much to my dismay…" Sieglinde sighed.

"Oh, but Sigi, you're not that bad a cook."

"Read between the lines, Aya," Ellie said.

"Between… Ah…" Aya suddenly realized it. "Well, now I understand…"

"I wonder when I'll be able to cook with Liz again…?" Elwyn ponder while scratching her chin gently. "Maybe for supper?"

"Wait for Katie to return, she probably will tell us everything," Ellie said and turned around to look into the corridor. "Well, she's coming."

After a few seconds, Katie entered the room with Giulietta at her side, carrying a plate and an empty cup. "So, I bet you all want to know how my dear cousin feels?" Katie asked proudly.

"Not really…" Kola murmured but Aya pinched him in the side. "Hey, the only woman I'm interested in now is you, Aya," he pouted.

Aya's face flushed with red and she started looking at the tiles in the dining hall with piousness.

"Anywho, Lily is doing well. I'll be training with her later on, and we'll probably do some cooking, am I right, Elwyn?"

"Well duh, stupid question!"

"Ha, I knew it!"

"So we don't have the danger of spontaneous combustion?" Ellie asked.

"No, she's stable right now, so unless she has some deep rooted problems with subconscious magic use, we're in the clear," Katie explained.

"Good, good… I'll have an announcement ready for dinner concerning our whole unit, so prepare for a nice surprise."

"Oh, can I know?" Katie asked enthusiastically.

"No, you can't," Ellie stuck out the tip of her tongue. "However, I will need you after I finish training with Marie."

"Sure thing, Ellie. Wait, what?"

"Ah, yes, most of you here now might not know, but I decided to develop her marksmanship skills a tad."

"Nobody will be better than you, ha!" Katie patted Ellie on the back honestly. "Okay now, Giulietta and Sieglinde, stop trying to kill each other with wild grins and fierce stares, and let's get into the kitchen."

"Yes ma'am…" the two answered a tad flustered and followed her into the kitchen.

"S-Say, Kola? D-Did you have TV w-when you were here… _n-normally_?"

"Yeah, we had it, but there was only the Only Valid Channel Trademark Copyright Rights Reserved."

"Heehee…" Aya giggled slightly.

"I'll be going my way," Ellie said. "The targets won't prepare themselves," she added and went out into the corridor.

"How nice of her…" Aya said quietly.

 **Bedroom**

"So, how are ya?" Nami asked in her usual manner.

"Good," Elizabeth answered politely.

"Buuuut… Why are you in Ayaya's bed?"

"Oh, heehee, I felt like hugging her… I'll be going to mine," she said and tried standing up, but she swayed a bit.

"Woah woah woah…" Nami caught the Britannian. "Lemme help."

"Thanks, I think I'm still a bit weak."

"No problem, always there to help!" Nami grinned.

"But I hope you won't turn into a pilot light anytime soon?" Tatiana asked.

"No, at least not according to Katie."

"Good to hear."

After being led to her bed, Elizabeth lied down.

"Want us to be quiet?" Nami asked.

"No, no, just lying down is enough for me I guess. Don't bother yourselves about poor little me, heehee…"

"We had training today, you know?"

"Ah, Katie told me that, but she didn't tell me the results."

"Well, she had to bail so she could help you, heh… Anyway, Sieglinde was the best, and Aya got banned because she was just too good."

"Too good? Wow, she sure is something…"

"Bah! If you saw that! I barely flipped the safety on my M2 and boom, my vest is beeping!"

"Vest?" Elizabeth tilted her head slightly.

"We got MILES equipment," Shinobu said. "You know what that is?"

"Ah… I think… Yes, I had a training session using that, uhum! But it wasn't that fun, since it doesn't have a four kilometer range like my M82…"

"Yeah, for snipers that's a pain in the ass, but us brawlers are okay, right Nami?"

"Hai, Shino!"

"Kill!" Shinobu jumped off the bed she was occupying and she started running towards Nami.

"Wah, a wild killer appears!" Nami shouted cheerfully and started running away.

As the two were running in circles around the room, Angela approached Elizabeth and said, "I wonder how pyrokinesis looks in battle… Never saw that live to be honest."

"Heh, me neither, but if I'll be a good model, then please watch me carefully."

"Hah, nicely said! Rest well; you have to show us one of the rarest powers in the witches' world after all!"

"Then stop bugging me you all…" she puffed her cheeks, but after seeing Angela's puzzled face, she started laughing.

Angela giggled a bit herself and she said, "Well, you got me there, Sieglinde grade bipolarism… I'll leave you anyway," she winked and went to her bunk.

 _"_ _Everyone is so nice towards me I want to cry… I'll relax and rest, just as the_ doctor _prescribed…"_ Elizabeth thought and relaxed.

 **Dining room**

 **Dinnertime**

"Brilliant display of cooking skills as usual, Katie. Are you sure your own abilities haven't evolved?"

"Naaaaah… Giulietta and Sieglinde sure were a big help, although the bickering before I managed to shut them up, sheesh…"

"Bickering you say? Tell me," Ellie said, making the two in question look nervous.

"Nah squared, I won't make the girls a disservice."

To that, the two reacted with a quiet sigh of relief.

"Heh… Well, my dear girls, tomorrow will be a… hmm… cultural event."

"Of what nature, ma'am?" Angela asked suspiciously.

"As I said, cultural. Tomorrow marks the last stop of the "501st memorial tour" in Orussia. We'll be making three-and-a-half hour trip to Volgograd, because my higher ups decided so."

"So that means… we'll get to see our grandparents?!" Nami cheered. "Weeee, I'll see my cousin!"

"Me too!" Elsa cheered even louder.

"And cousin-in-laws, remember," Angela added.

"Oh right, I always forget!" Nami shouted.

"Me too!" Elsa added.

"So, Aya, looks like a family reunion is going to happen tomorrow?" Shinobu asked with a smile.

"Well, uh…" she started counting on her fingers while staring at the ceiling. "Grandpa Toshiro… Grandma Yoshika… Cousin Trude… Cousin Nami and Cousin Elsa."

"Jesus…" Elwyn muttered.

"So cousin Toshiro, cousin-in-law Yoshika, Grandma Trudy, and you two," Elsa quickly enumerated.

"Same on my side, minus a grandma, heheh…" Nami smiled.

"I hate to interrupt your little moment, but I have more to add," Ellie said, and the girls silenced themselves. "Tomorrow, we'll be eating breakfast at half past seven, because we have to drive out at eight to make it and have some spare time left for unforeseen circumstances. Aaaand… That's all I guess. Marie, get dressed and we're going training. The rest is dismissed."

"Yes ma'am," Marie said quietly.

"How about you, Lily? Up for training?" Katie asked.

"I do feel a bit energized after dinner…"

"You know what? Let's wait till dusk."

"Wh… Oh, I get it. Heehee, you think about everything, cousin."

"Bah, that's why I'm a Major, bahahaha!"

"And whoever wants to join the usual afternoon training, show up in the gym after half an hour." Sieglinde said.

"What say you, Aya? Should I join?" Kola asked.

"W-Well… I w-wouldn't mind…"

"Then it's settled."

 **Hangar**

 **Five minutes later**

"So, to begin with, show me your weapons, Marie," Ellie said calmly.

"But I showed them already back then…"

"But I want you to show me them again, up and close, please."

"Yes ma'am."

She ran over to her Launch Unit, pulled out her FAMAS, and ran back.

"I always wanted to shoot your rifle to be honest… But oh my! I cannot operate it before I know how it works! What's this?" Ellie pointed at the trigger.

"That's the trigger."

"And the thingie before it?"

"The fire mode selector."

"And this?" she pointed at a lever under the hand guard.

"The charging handle."

"This?" she pointed and a lever in front of the charging handle.

"That's the grenade launcher alidade. You use it to aim while shooting rifle grenades."

"Oh? You have those?"

"I have a dozen of… uh… APAV 40 F2's I believe, and their dummy versions…"

"Nice, we'll be covering that too. And this?" Ellie resumed her pointing game.

"The magazine release."

"Well, at least you know how to operate your rifle I guess… Now, your pistol please," Ellie said while giving the FAMAS back to Marie. The latter took holstered the rifle on a sling, unholstered her pistol and gave it, barrel down, to Ellie.

Ellie took the pistol, ejected the mag, operated the slide, and looked down the sights. "Not too shabby I guess. I won't torture you with the specifics of this one for now," she inserted the mag and gave the pistol back to Marie. "Today, we will be shooting that rifle of yours. Follow me outside, and be sure to take a few mags of live ammo."

The two took the side exit and Marie saw a makeshift shooting range in the front of the forest.

"Oh… Did you do this alone, ma'am?"

"Of course! A girl has to know how to do everything herself. We'll be shooting at the targets in mid and far ranges. But first, let me get acquainted with that FAMAS of yours, okay?"

"Sure, ma'am."

Ellie took the rifle from Marie and ejected the mag.

"Blanks. That won't do us any good right now."

The Gallian reacted quickly, and she threw a mag with live ammo to Ellie. She pulled the charging handle to eject a chambered round, if one was present, popped in a new mag and pulled the handle again.

"Wow, ma'am! That was a fast reload!"

"It's not rocket physics, nothing complicated," Ellie smiled and positioned herself towards the targets.

She pulled the trigger, but nothing happened, so she flicked the selector by one position and she shot five rounds into the far target.

"Not bad, not bad… My magic isn't needed for this weapon. Let's try auto mode."

 _"_ _Her magic? What magic does the commander have again?"_

Ellie flicked the switch again and fired a controlled ten round burst.

"Hmm… Rather fast, recoil bearable… What are you thinking about so hard, Marie?"

"Um… Err… I was trying to remember what kind of magic you have, ma'am…"

"Ballistic Modification. Look closely."

Ellie pulled up the weapon into a firing position again and her animal features popped up, and the rifle started glowing. She squeezed the trigger, and the remaining ten rounds from the magazine were fired in a tenth of a second.

"W-What was that?!"

"That was my magic. I can modify the ballistic parameters of my weapon on the fly, as well as the rate of fire. Don't worry though, the magic filling the weapon mostly protects it from overheating and mechanical wear."

"T-Then what Final Art…"

"If you'll be a good girl and practice hard, I'll show you," Ellie winked. "Now, your turn. You'll be firing at the mid-range target."

"Yes ma'am."

Marie exchanged the spent mag for a new one and she fired a single shot.

"Miss. Again."

Marie shot another time, with a similar result.

"Ugh, Marie…" Ellie approached her and started correcting her posture. "Less tilt, align your sights better switch your feet! You're firing right handed, so your right foot goes to the back!"

"Yes ma'am…" Marie muttered, corrected herself, and fired another shot. "Oh! Did I hit?"

"You sure did. Empty the mag with single shots so we see if it's not a fluke.

After expending the remaining 22 rounds, Marie waited unloaded the empty mag.

"Hmm… Thirteen out of twenty five, not half bad, Miss Bonaparte…" Ellie said and patted Marie's head. "But we need to improve that to at least twenty out of twenty five. Don't worry, I don't require you to do that until the end of this training session."

"I'll do what I can, ma'am!" Marie shouted all fired up.

"Ha, that's the spirit! Load another one; make Emmentaler out of that target!"

"Heehee, yes ma'am!"

After all the mags were spent, Ellie announced, "Incredible, Marie. You've actually reached your quota with the last mag!"

"Thank you, ma'am!" Marie cheered

"We'll do a brief refresher tomorrow, and then we'll shift towards auto fire and grenades. Now, let me show you that Final Art of mine… Give me your pistol, since we're out of rifle rounds."

Marie gave Ellie her MAC-50, and the latter simply loaded a round and aimed at something in the distance after aligning the sights. When she pulled the trigger, the bang was as loud as a cannon, and the recoil kicked the pistol up half a meter. A line of trees in the forest started falling, with one simply exploding into splinters.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaa…" Marie said with her mouth open wide.

"That was my Final Art – Overcaliber. I can increase the caliber of the round I fire after it leaves the barrel up to ten times. If the round contains explosives, those also get enlarged proportionally."

"S-So that was…"

"Ninety millimeters. Also, I can stack that with my inherent magic, so the effects can get quite… spectacular."

"Incredible…" Marie gasped.

"Come on, let's go back to the main building, you have done your job for today."

"Yes, ma'am, thank you!"

Once the two returned, Ellie made way to her office, finding her compatriot inside. "Good that you're here, Katie."

"I sensed something is aloof, and you requested of me, so I'm here."

"Great. Listen, Katie. Today, we're writing a letter."

"Christmas was a month ago," Katie smirked.

"Shush, this is serious! We're writing a letter to von Edelweiss."

"R-Really? But why?"

"That's our last chance. We'll tell him everything, and that his granddaughter might be in danger if we'll have to pull our mission off."

"Ellie, I hope you'll chose your words wisely… I heard that that man has a very short fuse if his beloved ones are in peril…"

"That's why I have you, my dear Katie. This is a letter that may decide upon our very lives."

Katie sighed and said, " _Tonący brzytwy się chwyta_ (a drowning man is clutching straws). Okay then, let's do this. But how will you pass this on? You know what will happen if we do this through official channels…"

"Aya will give it to him personally tomorrow."

"And how the dingus will we convince her to do so?"

"We'll just tell her it's important for her to do it, as inconspicuously as possible."

"You may have a plan there, heheh…"

 **Two hours later**

"Looks good," Ellie said. "Now go and find your cousin, its dark already."

"Ah, fiddle sticks! I totally forgot!"

"You had more important things on your mind…" Ellie shrugged. "And I remembered something now."

"What?"

"That little spanking you promised me…"

"Errr… Ehh…"

"I'm kidding, that was in the heat of the moment. Go now."

"Whew, thanks…"

Katie turned around and went to the door, but then, Ellie charged forward and slapped her on the left butt cheek.

"Yowch! You cheater!"

"This way you'll remember it better, heh…"

"Ugh, you Ellie you…" Katie sighed and ran off to find her cousin.

She found her just before exiting the bedroom in her warm clothes. "Lily, where are you going?"

"I wanted to find you, my tardy cousin."

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I got immersed in important paperwork."

"Your sins are absolved, you may go in peace," Elizabeth snickered.

"Heh… Okay, let's go."

"You don't need your jacket?"

"You won't need one when I'm finished with you, but maybe not today… Today, we'll start with the basics."

"No sense in jumping into the ocean if you can't even float in the tub…" Elizabeth shrugged.

"Exactly, haha! Come on!"

The two ran out into the dusk, and Elizabeth said, "Oh, what about flashlights?"

"What flashlights?" Katie grinned and produced a small ball of fire at her index fingers tip that illuminated a few meters around them.

"Now that's practical."

"Okay, we need to run a bit deeper towards the runway. I set up a small test field yonder."

The two ran through a path paved in the snow, and found themselves in a small clearing, with a peculiar set of items there.

"That's it?" Elizabeth asked a bit disappointed.

"Don't look at me like that! It's the best I could do on my own…" she pouted. "ANYWAY, your first target is that piece of lumber."

"And what should I do with it?"

"Set it on fire, duh!"

"Oooookaaaay… How?"

"The best way for now is to imagine a thermometer, but with a huuuuuuge scale, like 3000 degrees Celsius. You just think about how the temperature grows. And the best thing, your magic should respond!"

"Now that's rich… But okay, let's try," Elizabeth said and she focused on the piece of lumber.

She imagined a round, industrial thermometer, with a scale from zero to three thousand. She slowly started moving the needle, and then, she felt as her magic activated.

"Woah, Katie, something budged."

"Don't lose your concentration!"

"Sorry!"

Elizabeth focused harder, and slowly raised the temperature. The piece of lumber started glowing, and after the temperature crossed 400 Celsius, it slowly started sparkling. After Elizabeth pushed a bit harder, it finally combusted.

"Woooo! I did it! I did it!"

"Yahoo, you're good!"

Suddenly however, the flaming piece of lumber exploded, and Katie shouted, "Crank down the temperature, now!"

Elizabeth almost panicked, but she imagined the thermometer going down back to zero.

"Whew… Sorry, Katie…"

"No prob. Now look at the next item," Katie pointed out to a single piece of a double pipe cast iron radiator.

"Melting time?"

"Yup. The melting point of cast iron is about 1200 Celsius, so you'd better put some effort. But for the love of God, don't rush! You saw what that causes, and I don't want to get hit by a splash of molten metal."

"I'll do my best."

Elizabeth concentrated again, and she pushed the temperature slow but steady. She felt that sweat drops started forming on her forehead as the metal was beginning to glow orange, but she was already over a thousand degrees, so she made the final push, and the piece of a radiator slowly started melting in a white light.

"Now crank the heat down. You can do that a bit faster than heating up."

Ellie listened to her cousin, and soon, the imaginative temperature was at zero. Katie approached Elizabeth and embraced her with one arm. "Tired?"

"Yeah… It's very demanding…"

"Don't worry, in a few days you'll be throwing fireballs like a pro! Just wait for your organism and magic system to adapt."

"Was it the same with you?"

"Yup. A few days of steady training and boom! I even have my Final Art handy, heehee…"

"Final Art… I can't imagine what that could be…"

"The sun feels like a 40 Watt bulb compared to it," Katie winked. "Now, let's hop back inside. Don't bother training with the rest of the girls, you're done for today."

"Officially?"

"That's an order!"

"Haha, yes ma'am!"

The two went their separate ways, chatting a bit before they split, and once they found themselves inside, with Katie going to her room and Elizabeth ending up in the bedroom. She found that Marie was the only other one there beside her.

"How was it?" the Gallian asked.

"It was… unique. I've burned down a piece of lumber and a part of a radiator like one of those in the base."

"Woooow… That surely is more impressive than my shooting training…"

"Your training was also important, don't get the wrong idea! I would train you myself if the commander didn't beat me to it."

"Really?"

"Yup! And from what Katie told me, you managed rather well."

"Oh…" Marie blushed slightly. "Well, I had a good teacher…"

"I mean seriously, what kind of people trained you back home?"

"A backwater unit with old fashioned teachers… Grandma would teach me better if she was there… And as I said, until recently, the Gallian Army still used old MAT-49's and MAS-49's…"

"So basically… You were given the FAMAS upon your transfer?"

"Yes. I only had one day to acquaint myself with it, and off I go."

"But you like it?"

"Yes. Especially after the training today, heehee… Tomorrow I'll be shooting the rifle grenades for the first time."

"Now that I want to see!"

"Ask the commander, heh… Oh, you'll probably be making dinner today, right? We're all now taking turns in pairs it seems."

"I guess my dear cousin won't let anyone else than me and Elwyn to help her at supper today, heheh… She's such a caring person…"

"Yeah…" Marie's face suddenly went gloomy.

"What's wrong, Marie?"

"No, nothing… I just remembered my sister… I wonder how she's doing right now…"

"Homesick?"

"Aren't we all…?" she sighed.

"True, true…"

 **Dining hall**

 **Suppertime**

"Yup, now I'm sure of it. Katie, you're cooking with gas now, heh…" Ellie said.

"Maybe just like good company during a meal seems to make it more enjoyable, maybe the same is true for cooking?" Katie pondered. "Anyway, it was nice to cook again in our little trio, heheh…"

"And it was fun to eat your food again!" Elsa cheered.

"Ugh…" Sieglinde muttered.

"So just a reminder and to set things straight for tomorrow – Kola, you'll have to fire up the snow plow about six AM to make a path to the main road. Doable?"

"Yeah, sure. At least I'll have something to do. And of course I'll probably be home sitting, right?"

"Yes, I'm sorry," Ellie answered apologetically.

"No problem, somebody has to do it."

"I'm glad you understand. My dear cooks - you'll have to wake up and start preparing food half an hour earlier. I would also be grateful if you would prepare something for the way back."

"Consider it done, Ellie. But who should I pick?" Katie asked.

"Your favorites have been doing their job today, so… Ah, I was thinking about our dear night witches, but they have to get at least a bit of sleep," the two in question nodded slightly. "Shinobu and Angela, you're up."

The Fusojin and Karlslander looked at each other and shrugged.

"I'll take that as a wholehearted yes, heehee… What else…? Ah, we're going to train straight after, well, maybe after a ten minute break. Marie, remember that, okay?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I guess that counts for us two too?" Katie asked while looking at her cousin.

"You can do whatever and wherever you like, what do I care?" Ellie grinned. "Just don't go on creating a firestorm."

"I got Lily under control, don't worry."

"How nice. I guess that's all I wanted to tell all of you. Good night and sleep tight."

"Goooood niiiight!" the girls cheered in sync and started dispersing.

 **Bedroom**

 **2200 MSK**

Aya raised herself from her bed, but then it creaked silently.

 _"_ _Damn!"_

"Aya, what are you planning again…?" Sieglinde mumbled quietly. "Another escapade to Kola?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Well, I guess this is the only time you can have some privacy with him undisturbed… Just don't go too far, okay? Can you promise me that?"

"Okay, I promise," Aya smiled and continued her walk.

"You just had to…" Angela sighed.

"What? I'm a bit concerned about Aya anyway…"

"Yeah, I know… Let's sleep, Sieglinde. You have to conserve your energy to put up with your Grandma tomorrow, heehee…"

"Hurrr… Night."

"Good night."

 **Kola's bedroom**

The door opened without a single noise, and a shadowy figure entered the room. It approached Kola's bed and lied down beside him.

"Now, now, how should I understand this?"

"I… I just w-wanted to r-repeat yesterday… A-And maybe a b-bit more…"

"A bit more…" Kola turned around towards Aya and embraced her lightly.

"Y-Yes… A bit more…"

Aya reached out with her lips and she found Kola's. They went slow, but Kola's right hand wanted things a bit faster. It moved down Aya's side, and stopped just at her waist, as if waiting for something.

"Mhm…" Aya confirmed.

His hand moved down and slightly squeezed Aya's left buttock, to which she moaned slightly. But then, his hand changed direction, and it wandered under her t-shirt, slowly going up her back, and then turning back left.

"Uh-uh…"

 _"_ _A no is a no I guess…"_

He pulled out his hand, and instead used it to caress her head gently. A bit later, Aya finally stopped and said, "N-No boobs for now… O-Okay?"

"If you want it so, I'll comply. But I didn't feel a bra strap…"

"Y-Y-You t-t-think I-I-I w-w-w-would s-s-sleep i-i-n a b-b-bra?!"

"Dunno, never asked a girl how this works…"

"Ah… Well… N-No normal g-girl sleeps in a b-bra… It's uncomfortable as hell…"

"You know what… Sit."

"Now?"

"Yes, just sit."

Aya sat at the side of his bed, and Kola lustrated her from the side.

"W-What?"

"Your boobs sure are firm… Absolutely no sagging despite the size…"

What Kola didn't see, but Aya felt, was that she was now blushing so hard she was almost fluorescent.

"Y-Y-You know… I… I'm j-just b-barely legal…"

"Yeah, you're young and firm, heheh… Okay, I won't torture you more today. Have a good night, Sweetie."

"G-Good night, Kola… A shame y-you can't go…"

"Who am I to go there…? Don't sweat it, I'll find something to do while you're all out."

Aya went out of the room and returned to her bed.

 _"_ _Whew… That was close… A bit more and… and… and…"_

 _"_ _Mistress, are you thinking about procreation?"_

 _"_ _Waaaagh, Kuro, damn you to hell!"_

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Mistress. Please forgive me for the interruption."_

 _"_ _No, no… It's okay… I was just a bit stressed that Kola and I could… You know…"_

 _"_ _Fornicate?"_

 _"_ _Y-Yeah…"_

 _"_ _And what's wrong with that? The two of you would have magnificent offspring!"_

 _"_ _I know! But… I'm not ready… I'm not ready yet… Not for simple humping or bearing a child…"_

 _"_ _As you wish, Mistress. But give me a signal, and I'll ready your body, for both pleasure and/or having a child."_

 _"_ _Heh… Thanks, Kuro."_

 _"_ _Good night, Mistress."_

 _"_ _Good night, Kuro. I should talk more to you…"_

 _"_ _You have your friends in the flesh; don't worry about the silly me."_

 _"_ _Heh… Okay, if you say so… Maybe it's better that you're not like your mother?"_

 _"_ _That could prove a bit difficult with the current state of your psyche, Mistress…"_

 _"_ _Yeah… I heard Yuki was, I quote, a "bitch.""_

 _"_ _True, my mother is a bit difficult at times, but every "bitch" has her soft side, and your dear grandfather experienced it all."_

 _"_ _Probably… Okay, bye now…"_

Aya looked at the teddy bear she had on her bed.

 _"_ _Ahh… Simone… I wonder what would you be doing now if you would be alive…?"_

She took the toy, embraced it tightly, and fell asleep.

 _"_ _Guess nothing happened after all…"_ Sieglinde noted in her mind and finally started drifting away.

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	27. Chapter 27 – Are we there yet?

Chapter 27 – Are we there yet?

* * *

 **Kola's room**

 **January 21, 1983**

 **0600 MSK**

The simple wind up alarm clock that was on the nightstand beside Kola went off as planned, piercing the dead silence of the dark room.

"Blaaaaargh… Goddamn alarm clock… Damn snow plowing job... But somebody has to do it…" Kola mumbled and smashed the lever disabling the alarm. He yawned heavily and started getting dressed.

He took a flashlight and went down the dark corridor silently, and exited into the freezing cold night.

"Aaaaagh cold!" he shouted, adding a string of curses that would make a gravedigger blush, and ran to the snowplow, which was a converted ZIL 164. He quickly turned the motor on, praying to all gods that the primitive heater would start working before he froze to death.

Thankfully, it happened rather fast, so he just rubbed his hands together and started his job.

 **Bedroom**

 **0655 MSK**

Shinobu put on her socks and dropped off her bunk. She clothed herself in her usual attire, and later put on her shoes. While at it, she looked towards Angela, who was doing the same. Despite the relative darkness, they saw each other and smiled. Angela pointed out at Aya, so Shinobu hastened herself and walked to her best friend.

"How cute…" she said quietly after seeing Aya cuddling a teddy bear, curled up besides the ruffled up blanket.

"And nobody is in her bed beside her for a change, heh…" Angela added. "So, let's get out of the room, before our dear vice commander makes a ruckus."

"Yeah, we should… But wait a second…" Shinobu smiled and put the blanket back to where it belonged. "There, perfect."

"Guess that's not the first for you, huh?" Angela asked, smiling wryly.

"Well, kinda," Shinobu snickered. "Let's go."

The two silently crept out of the room, and at the same time the door closed, Giulietta started making her move. However, the vigilant Sieglinde quickly stopped her in her tracks saying, "Don't even try."

Giulietta twitched, nonetheless she regained her composure and asked, "Try what?"

"You probably want to do a little hugging with Aya. Or maybe more than that, you unsated boob demon."

"Oh, I'm now a demon, how nice…"she said sarcastically. "And what if I wanted to hug her?"

"You're a lesbian. I would let anyone sleep in one bed with Aya, but not you."

"How ever so tolerant of you…"

"I won't let you near Aya when she's asleep unless you promise her that you won't try to molest her."

"Can't I just promise you?"

"I'm not her pimp, you damn tits for brains! She has to decide about such things herself."

"Mmmm… Can't I at least pat her on the head?"

"You'll wake her up."

"But we'll be on the move in half an hour anyway."

"No. Go back to sleep yourself, or I promise you that I'll punch you so hard that you'll burp up the lemonade you had on your first communion party."

"Ugh… Go to hell…" Giulietta muttered and lied down back on her bed.

Sieglinde's satisfied grin was concealed by the shadows, and she relaxed waiting for breakfast.

 **Corridor**

"Now would you look at that? You sure are considerate to wait here, and not dwindle your thumbs and wait for me to wake you up," Katie smirked.

"My concerns exactly, ma'am," Angela joined in on the smirking.

"Okay, let's go and see what you're capable of…" once they arrived at the kitchen, Katie asked. "And?"

"I can cook as much as the other three," Angela said confidently.

"And my skills in the kitchen are comparable to Nami's," Shinobu said with equal confidence.

"I heard that your grandmother was actually quite… unskilled," Katie shot a meaningful glare at Shinobu.

"Indeed, she was a total amateur, until Aya's grandfather convinced Mio to take lessons from Yoshika in 1945. From then, the Sakamoto's are capable of cooking, and not just burning water and slicing boiled eggs in half," Shinobu smiled.

"You're calling your grandmother, The Samurai, by her given name? If that ain't ballsy, then I'm a Mandarin prince."

"Heh, well, this also has to do with ancient history so to speak. Mio stubbornly refused to call Yoshika by her given name, which Toshiro- _sama_ didn't approve. But everything ends in this world, and after Yoshika saved Mio's life for the third time, she finally caved in. Now it's become a sort of a family tradition. Sasami calls Mio by her given name, and I call Mom like that."

"Weird, but cute in a way… You know what? Fuck this shit, I'll announce that everyone may call me however they wish."

"That's generous of you," Angela smiled.

"But I would watch with that around Nami… She's bound to call you by some weird pet name…"

"Meh, I've heard them all. And I see you two adapted quite quickly…"

"Flexibility in combat is of most importance," Shinobu winked.

"Ha, okay, let's go on with the cooking. We have to prepare some munch material for the trip, because I doubt we'll be able to eat anything at Volgograd, and we'll probably return around six."

"Hot tea, that's a must," Angela said.

"Sandwiches would be perfect to take with us," Shinobu added.

"Well then, everything's decided. Let's make something warm and filling for breakfast, and off we go!"

 **Bedroom**

 **0725 MSK**

Aya's consciousness arose and she opened her eyes. She first looked to the right and she saw Giulietta waving at her. She waved back, and she turned to the left, seeing a fussy Sieglinde.

 _"_ _They're at it again… Ehhh... What a bother… Time to get up; I'll see my grandparents, cousins, and the rest today!"_

She first pulled on her socks and then she changed her clothes. Just then, the door opened. After a second, the person who just entered turned on the lights. Aya squinted her eyes, almost blinded by the light, and she heard Ellie's voice.

"Girls, sorry for the rough wake up, but I want you all to be at breakfast in four minutes. We really can't afford to be tardy, so please, hurry up."

After saying those words, she exited the bedroom.

"I wonder why she's so eager to go…?" Elwyn pondered while looking for her glasses.

"Maybe this is combined with some kind of propaganda thing?" Sieglinde asked. "You should know how the Oruskies are with their brainwashing."

"Yeah, sort of… She was probably commanded to drag us there."

"Whatever the reason is, let's go, or she'll politely but mercilessly drive us into the ground."

"Yeah… She's giving that sort of vibe… Bleh, bad juju!"

"Okay, who's awake...? Nami is looking at me right now with a dull face expression… The Britannian and the Gallian are getting up; the Orussian is trying to wake up the Suomi… And of course damn Elsa is sleeping as if she just returned from three shifts in a steel mill… Ayaaaaaaaa…"

"S-Sure, or you'll hurt her…" Aya sighed and jumped on the top bunk where Elsa was supposedly sleeping.

"Boo!" Elsa opened her eyes suddenly.

"Wah!" Aya shouted scared and returned to her bunk.

"Heheh, surprised you, huh?"

"Almost like some kind of Christmas Day miracle…" Sieglinde said in admiration. "Everyone, move faster! I have feeling we don't want to induce the wrath of our commander!"

They made it on time.

"Ah, wonderful timing!" Ellie noted. "Okay, chop chop, we have to hurry with our food. No dawdling, no TV, no food fights, and whatsoever."

"Yes ma'am…" the girls said with varying enthusiasm.

"Ah, before anything, I want to make an announcement!" Katie ran out of the kitchen. "You can all call me however you want, no strings attached."

The girls looked amongst themselves, but there was no verbal reaction to Katie's exposition. Shortly after, breakfast was served.

"Kola, you look tired…" Aya said concerned.

"I had to plow the snow, refuel three vehicles, check the tire pressure, et cetera. So yeah, I was kind of busy."

"Oh… Heh, t-thanks for the work…"

"At least you won't break down in the middle of the Orussian nowhere," Kola shrugged.

"And he did most of it out of his own volition," Ellie said. "Nobody asked him."

"Really?" Aya asked.

Kola only shrugged yet again and chomped down on his breakfast.

"Oh, Kitty, pass the salt please!" Nami said.

"Who, me?" Katie asked. "Already a pet name?!"

"Told you," Shinobu smiled.

Katie sighed. "Whatever now… Although, it has a good ring to it."

"Heheh, my pet names are always funny and cute! If I could I would…" she looked around the gathered.

"I'll pass," Tatiana said.

"Me too…" Giulietta mumbled.

"Bawww…" Nami sulked.

"Time, ladies, time!" Ellie hurried them up. "Look at my plate, and look at yours."

The girls did what she suggested and displayed a plethora of facial expressions.

"Remember, we'll be going a bit rough today, so eat up."

That was motivation enough to hurry up the gluttons, which in turn enticed the _normal_ eaters.

 _"_ _Oh Ellie, Ellie… You sure were taught one or two tricks about psychology…"_

Once Ellie saw that the girls were close to finishing their meals she said, "Now, once you finish, put on your warm clothes, comb your hair quickly and let's go. Cooking team – take our food for the way."

"Yes ma'am," the girls responded.

Ellie quickly finished her meal and ran off.

"What's with her today?" Elwyn asked while looking at Katie.

"She was called by the Propaganda Ministry to get all of you there, so I guess she's kinda anxious not to fail."

"Heh, I knew it…" Sieglinde said quietly. "Okay, since Shinobu is busy with cleaning up, I'm the one ordering you all. Let's go and prepare ourselves."

The girls that had to go now wandered to the bedroom and got clothed. Afterwards, everyone's combs and brushes went into use, and the girls had conquered their bed hair. After the two that were with Katie joined, Aya and Nami made short notice with them, and soon, everyone was going towards the exit. Kola, however, was standing beside the door, as if waiting for somebody.

Aya felt a push on her back, and then she saw Elwyn with a devilish grin on her face. Aya approached Kola and said, "Eh… B-Bye…"

"Oh, is that all?"

"W-Well…"

"Come on, I see that you want to do it."

"Oh, whatever now!" Aya shouted, jumped up, and quickly smooched him on the cheek.

"Heh, now that was nice," he said and pinched her on the nose delicately. "I would pat you on the head, but your hair looks like it was freshly combed."

"Heheh, w-well, if you say s-so… H-Have fun…"

"I hope I will… At least nine hours of nothing await me…" he sighed.

"Come on, Aya, or we'll be late," Ellie pointed at her watch.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" she shot a last glance towards Kola and joined the rest.

After they got out of the building, Ellie said, "Now, before you start running around frantically and calling dibs on seats, if you didn't do the latter one already, I have to announce that the placement of everyone was already determined by me," Ellie took a breath and continued. "The seating is final, and no buts or ifs will be taken into account. So, jeep one – the Karlslanders plus Elwyn as the driver."

"Woohoo!" Elwyn cheered.

"But why her…" Sieglinde muttered, but a deaf ear was turned to her.

"Second jeep – Katie driving, Giulietta, Elizabeth, Nami, and Shinobu with her as passengers."

"Wooo! Cousin, you take shotgun and nobody dare to protest!"

"Uhuh…" the rest nodded lazily.

"I'll be driving the truck, and with me Aina, Tatiana, and Marie. You'll have to squeeze in somehow, but you three are rather small framed, so it won't be a problem I hope."

Tatiana looked at Aina, Marie, and Ellie closely, and she said, "Shouldn't be a problem."

"Good," Ellie smiled. "Now, before we ride out, we'll be taking Aya's Striker and a MG3 H1 as backup."

"Oh?" Aya tilted her head.

"You're the uncontested best in the unit, so I guess if anything attacks us, or there will be an order to sortie around us, you'll be up to it."

"Uh… Y-Yes… Probably yes."

"Very good. Everyone, embark!"

Aya and the rest turned around, but then Ellie quietly called out to her, "Aya, come here."

She quickly approached Ellie and asked, "W-What is it, ma'am?"

With a lightning fast movement, she slipped something into Aya's pocket and whispered, "I gave you a letter. You officially don't have it, and you can't talk about it with anyone else than the recipient."

"A-And who…"

"Your grandfather."

"Oh? R-Really?"

"Yes. You have to pass this on as inconspicuously as possible when you'll get an occasion to meet him at the backstage."

"I-Is this important?"

"Very, Aya. Very…" she turned away. "Now go."

"O-Okay."

"Aya, come on! You'll sit in the front!" Sieglinde waved at her.

"Coooming!"

Once everyone was seated, Ellie fired up her short-range transponder and said, "You will drive behind be at all times. I'm the pacemaker and guide for you, so no monkey business. I stop, you stop etcetera."

"Roger," Elwyn and Katie responded.

Ellie fired up the truck and said, "As I said, first we're stopping for that Striker and the gun."

She drove to the hangar, with the two smaller cars following her. As she stopped, the two also stopped. Preemptively, Aya jumped out of the car.

"Ah, good thinking, Aya. Go fetch your stuff and let's go."

Aya ran into the hangar and left the big door to open itself. She took the MG3 H1 and a few drums. After hanging it all on a sling and taking the control unit, she undocked the _Lilie,_ and she quickly jumped onto the back of the truck, and placed everything nicely on the floor. She then jumped out, and Ellie drove out of the hangar, with Aya pushing the button that started the door closing sequence. After taking a seat in the jeep, the convoy went off.

 **Inside the ZIL-130**

 **10 minutes later**

Aina was already sleeping on Marie's lap peacefully, with her head being patted slowly and gently by the latter. Tatiana in turn tried to stay awake so hard that it caught Ellie's attention.

"Come on, you can fall asleep, we still have at least three hours of driving ahead of us, and you caught only two hours of sleep or so today."

"If you say so, ma'am…" Tatiana yawned and lied down on the back of Aina.

After a minute, Marie said, "I don't know why, but Aina reminds me of my little sister somehow…"

"In what way?" Ellie asked.

"She's so peaceful and innocent looking like her when she's sleeping, heehee…"

"How is she, your sister?"

"Well…" Marie frowned. "Giselle would be called a burden by most people…"

"Uh… Sorry for asking…"

"No, no… I like to talk about my sister… If the listener isn't freaked out already."

"Hit me."

"Heh… Well, Giselle looked normally, but soon, she started behaving weird. The doctors diagnosed her with autism, at least that's how my parents told me how it went on, since I'm only two years older than her. I always understood that she was a special need child, and I accepted her as she was. But one day… One day, when I was eight, I was playing with her in the garden… She threw a ball at me, but it was too hard a throw, and the ball landed on the street. She told me she would fetch it, so I just sat on the grass and waited. We had an enormous hedge in the garden, so I only heard the screech of tires on the asphalt and a loud thud. Then it hit me. I ran out and saw a man lamenting over the blood covered Giselle…" Marie took a deep breath. "Thankfully, she was hospitalized soon, but… The doctor told us that her spine was fractured beyond repair, and that she'll be paralyzed from waist down, so for the last eight years I had to take care of my autistic, crippled sister… And now I'm missing her…" a tear glinted in the corner of Marie's eye. "Back home, I could at least go on leave and play with her, but right now, I'm in the middle of a snow covered nowhere, a couple of thousand kilometers away…"

Ellie reached over and patted Marie on the head saying, "Don't worry, it will be over one day. When you feel super homesick, I'll try to arrange something, but not now… Now's a bad time to make such moves…"

"Thank you, ma'am… Thank you for listening to me… You are the first one I told this here…"

"And I'm honored to be the first one to have listened to it," Ellie smiled. "Maybe you'll also take a nap, huh?"

"If I can manage, I will…"

"Don't hold back."

After only five minutes, the three passengers of Ellie were all asleep.

 **Inside the UAZ-3151**

 **An hour later**

"Snow… Snow… A cottage… Snow… A yak… Snow…" Elwyn mumbled halfheartedly.

"Oh shut it, Elwyn," Sieglinde sighed. "Your glorious Liberion also has god forbidden places with only sand, cacti, and tumbleweeds on the sides of the road."

"Well, yeah, but at least I would probably have a damn radio… Or some more talkative companions…" she sighed.

"And what could we talk about, huh?"

"Dunno… Our childhood, our dreams, goals… Basically whatever could spark a conversation."

"We know all of that between us, right girls?" Aya and Angela nodded. "So, how about you lay down something on the table?"

"Unfair… There's four of ya…"

"Tell us your story, and maybe we'll share ours."

"Well… I can tell you about my dreams."

"Go ahead."

"As you may have noticed, I'm skilled with electronics, and I intend to build upon that."

"Sure we've noticed…" Sieglinde mumbled while looking at her fingernails. "Almost cost us a _Lilie_ and possibly two lives…"

"Oh shush, it was partially Aya's fault for not telling me."

"Heheh…" Aya laughed dryly.

"Well anyway, I want to finish my education, possibly get a Masters in some science thing, and either start my own computer company or tag along with some established one."

"G-Good idea," Aya said suddenly. "T-This market is b-blooming…"

"Hah, Aya knows damn good what's good! Don't want to study with me?"

"N-No… I want to b-be a… d-different kind of s-scientist…"

"Oh, more in the biological direction? Also good! Right, damn it! Your grandma won a fucking Nobel Prize! And your gramps too, sheesh… Damn it to hell…"

"I always forget about that…" Sieglinde scratched her chin.

"How do you put up with the social pressure, huh, Aya? I would probably shut myself in the basement in your place."

"W-Well… I simply d-don't give a damn," she smiled innocently. "M-My grandparents and my p-parents did their j-job, and I'll d-do mine."

"Gol durn it! Now that's what I call being focused on your own goals, hahaha! If I had such a rootin' tootin' conviction like that, I could be a fucking billionaire!"

"Your hillbilly nature is peering out," Sieglinde grinned.

"Meh, can't help it," Elwyn shrugged.

 **Inside the UAZ-469**

 **15 minutes later**

"Sure's good that we got _arctic_ version of this car…" Katie said.

"What's the difference?" Shinobu asked.

"Better heating and a hard roof. Normally it has a foldable material roof, and I bet we would shit icicles already."

"Couldn't you just heat us up?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, yeah, but continuous output for four hours? Nope."

"Then I would help!"

"No, Lily, you're too inexperienced. You would probably set your clothes or the whole car on fire. But I do appreciate your concerns, heheh…"

"First thing we do after we return is training!"

"Ohoho! My dear cousin is all fired up!"

"Just don't take it literally!" Giulietta shouted.

Everyone around laughed, and once Katie managed to calm down, she asked, "Hey, Giulietta, you said you're a lesbian, right?"

"Uh… Yeah, and?"

"Well, how many innocent girls did you bag back home?"

"Only one so far, a witch from my home unit. Why are you asking?"

"I thought that you're maybe as aggressive with going down the pants as with boob fondling."

"Boobs are just horseplay, but going lower could be pulled up to the rank of molesting, you know… And that would be damn bad for my career in the army."

"I see… Have your eyes set on somebody in our unit?" Katie asked with a cheeky smile.

"W-W-What?"

"Come on, tell us. We won't tell anybody else, right girls?"

Katie received more or less reassuring nods.

"Well… Beside you and the commander, I wouldn't touch the Orussian, the Suomi, and the Gallian…" Giulietta said with red cheeks.

"Sooooo… You're saying that you're willing to bang with the three of us?" Shinobu asked.

"Y-Yeah, sort of… Please don't kill me!" she raised her hands in defense.

"Heh, I won't. But let's make this clear – I won't go down with another girl unless my life depends on it."

"I don't know, honestly… But I guess I'm straight…" Elizabeth mumbled.

"Well, since we're bound by a promise here, I can say I'm open for propositions," Nami smiled.

"What, you?!" Giulietta shouted surprised.

"Yeah, sure. I didn't do it with a guy yet, but snuggling with girls is… heehee… nice."

"When?!" Giulietta asked with a fiery spirit.

"Whenever you like, we just need some privacy, heheh…"

"Did I just witness coordinating a tryst?" Katie asked with a confused look.

"Pretty much yeah…" Shinobu sighed. "Eyes on the road, Katie, or we'll end wrapped around a pine…"

"Damn right…" Katie mumbled and focused on the road.

 **Inside of the ZIL-130**

 **1135 MSK**

"Girls, wake up, we're almost in Volgograd already," Ellie said with a soft voice and nudged Tatiana.

The Orussian slowly raised herself from Aina, who in turned got up from Marie's lap.

"Oh, we really are…" Tatiana said after seeing the white road sign with a black edge, with **Волгоград** written on it.

Marie also opened her eyes and yawned. "My, did I sleep so long? Wonder how that happened…"

"You had good sleeping company," Ellie smiled and fired up her transponder. "Last straight, girls!

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	28. Chapter 28 – Grandreunion

Chapter 28 – Grandreunion

* * *

 **Inside the UAZ-3151**

"So that is the famous Volgograd we're supposed to protect over yonder?" Elwyn pointed at the city in the distance.

"Guess so," Sieglinde answered. "Looks dull if you ask me."

"A Karlslander talking about beauty? Now this is something new, heheh…"

"You would say the same, so don't try to be smarter than the Pope."

"Well, you got me there," Elwyn admitted. "The sign with the town name sure is a long way from the town itself. Guess them commies have to have everything big."

"Just like you capitalists," Angela said.

"Yeah, yeah. Stick a needle where you can. But remember that YOU are a capitalist too."

"But your country is a damn symbol of capitalism," Angela smirked.

"Whatevs…"

* * *

The convoy continued further into the city. Surprisingly, Tatiana took up the role of a tour guide, as they were driving along the long _Leninskyi Prospekt._

"We're now driving through the Gherman Titov Square," her voice sounded in the transponder.

"The cosmonaut?" Aya asked.

"Yes, the very same. He was the fifth man in space," Tatiana said proudly.

"AFTER my Grandma!" Elwyn sounded off proudly through comms.

"Yes, yes…" Tatiana sighed.

After a few hundred meters, she said, "To your right, the Metallurgist Square."

"And our destination," Ellie added. "Also to your right, the Lenin House of Culture, _Prospekt Lenina_ 97, Volgograd."

Ellie's truck turned right, and the jeeps followed her. A soldier directed them to the square, where another one pointed out where they should park. Their surrounding were plentiful with civilians of all ages and genders.

"Okay girls, let's go," Ellie said. "Be sure to take the keys with you, heheh…"

All the girls jumped out of the cars, accompanied with the clamor of opened and closed doors. A man in a brown suit ran up to them, and asked, "Which one of you is _Podpolkovnik_ Horbaczewski?"

"That would be me," Ellie raised her hand.

"Ah, a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. I'm Misha Yefrimovich Boycov, the director of the community center you see behind me. Please, let's all go inside, I will explain your roles."

"Come on ladies, on me!" Ellie commanded.

"Roger!" the girls responded and started walking behind the two in an orderly manner.

"Now, your role is simple," the man said while looking at Ellie. "You just sit in the audience with your right hand and have a good time. Now, the rest of the girls will have one simple task to do, namely entering the stage once they'll be called out."

"All of them at once?"

"Yes. After they are called out, they go to their respective grandparent. I have information that one of them is a descendant of somebody that was not a member of 501st, a certain Fusojin?"

"Ah, that would be Nami. What about her?"

"She should join _tovarishch_ Von Edelweiss, as she is his cousin."

"Sounds okay. Are you okay with that yourself, Nami?" Ellia looked behind without dropping a beat.

"Sure!" the Fusojin responded energetically.

"How wonderful," the director said. "Before the 501st, there will be a song from a famous singer. Just telling."

"I understand."

They entered the building, and they were led to a spacious gym, that was now converted into a makeshift aula.

"Ain't that a trip down Memory Lane, huh?" Shinobu asked Nami.

"Heh, it sure is. I just hope we won't sing _Aogeba Tōtoshi_ again, or I'll cry like a beaver…"

"Come on, it's not our graduation ceremony," Shinobu smiled and patted her grown-out friend on the back.

Amongst murmurs of the people already gathered, the whole fourteen were seated in the first row, with Ellie sitting alongside some dignitary of the CPSU. Elsa from the left and Nami from the right of course surrounded Aya. They seemed to make it just in time, because the man that was seemingly the compere, clad in a black suit, came out from one of the doors behind the makeshift scene.

" _Damy I gospodary_!"

"Aya, translate!" Elwyn panicked.

"Uh… L-Ladies and Gentlemen… I-It is a p-pleasure to see you a-all on this day. Y-You all are probably w-waiting for the girls and one o-oddball of the 501st, b-but first, a legendary singer, E- Eduard Anatolyevich Khil, s-singing, "I Am G-Glad, 'Cause I'm F-Finally Returning Back H-Home".

The crowd cheered and clapped their hands vividly, and as the master of ceremony disappeared into one door, another man, this time in a brown suit and with a nice clean hair cut came out of the first door. He quickly walked up to the microphone.

Aya braced herself, but instead of translating, she only had to listen. A cheerful melody came from the speakers installed near the tribune, and the man started singing a vocalized song.

"Eeeeh… What?" Elwyn asked. "What kind of post modernistic bullshit is this?"

"Supposedly, the censors didn't let the lyrics be used," Tatiana said. "And shush, you infidel, this man has more awards on his pajamas then you have on your uniform."

"Oh do tell!"

"Meritorious Artist of the OSFSR, Order of the Red Banner of Labour, People's Artist of the OSFSR, Lenin Komsomol Prize, and an Order of Friendship of Peoples. Should I start explaining what each stands for?"

"Okay, I'm shutting up."

"Nice song…" Aya said quietly. "Trololololo lololo lololo…"

Once the singer stopped and left the scene in a storm of applause, the compere appeared again, and Aya started her work, "C-Comrade Khil as a-always stunning! And n-now, the g-guest you were waiting f-for, the 501st Joint Fighter Wing!"

The man moved a bit aside, and then, Toshiro came out in his old uniform, holding Yoshika's hand, who in turn had her sailor uniform, albeit with a long skirt instead of going panty-only. Most of the girls had their old uniforms handy, and all had skirts either going as low as their knees or even lower, with all of them wearing tights. They waved their hands towards the audience, which in turn roared like mad.

Toshiro winked towards the girls in front row, and then, Shinobu started shaking Nami with a red face while repeating, "He winked at me! He winked at me! He winked at me!"

"Ye-eee-eeee-sss ooo-ooo-ooof cooo-oo-ooourse!" the poor Fusojin replied.

The women on scene didn't hide their smiles towards their grandchildren, and then the ceremony master said, "Welcome esteemed guests!"

 _"_ _Whew, I don't have to interpret…"_ Aya sighed mentally.

"I would like to welcome you here, at the last stop of your tour, in this humble city. The first thing the gathered here would like to know is probably how tightly knit all of you still are."

Everyone on stage looked at Toshiro, who simply approached the microphone and said, "I must say that we are in contact almost all the time. We have yearly reunions, but at all other times, the telephones are always white hot. My Yoshika is so talkative that I always weep when I see the mailman bringing the phone bill," he smiled and besides earning an earnest laugh from everyone, he got a coy nudge from Yoshika.

"Haha, what a good answer! If I may ask, how is it that you look so young, Mr. Von Edelweiss?"

"My wife treats me exceptionally good," he whispered theatrically, earning a round of applause. "But seriously, I think it's the work of my genes. All of my ancestors from Moms' side were beautiful women and Fusojins, and looking at the girls from Fuso here, you can tell that time seems to be lenient on them," he said, earning another round of laughter.

"Indeed, you're right. Now I have a question to the duo that joined the 501st the latest. Ladies, can I have you at the microphone?"

Without hesitation, Shizuka and Heidemarie approached the designated spot.

"Tell us, how did you join the unit? I'm asking because you were the last ones to join, and fairly late to boot."

Shizuka bent over to the microphone and said, "Well, it was Toshiro that recruited us."

"Rather he dragged us in, heehee…" Heidemarie added. "He just said we're in the 501st and poof, new reality."

"But in hindsight, we're happy that we didn't disapprove, right, Heidi."

"You're right, Shizuka."

"Truly, the man knows how to handle women!" the compere said and cause a bit of laughter. "Now, could I please have the misses from Liberion at the microphone?"

"Of course!" Shirley cheered and ran to the microphone. "What's up?"

"The peoples hopes, hehe… So, it was you, Miss Shirley, who on that faithful day accompanied our dear departed comrade, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, in the first flight into space?"

"Yup!" Shirley said cheerfully.

"Tell me, how was it?"

"Ah, I was so anxious that the whole rocket was probably jittering, but Yuri was sure a charmer, and he managed to calm me down. When the countdown came down to zero and the rocket engines came on, I felt bliss. It was a dream come true. The rocket soared through the sky, and then, when the rocket changed its trajectory so we could see Earth, I cried. I was the first woman in space, something unique… Well, I should stop or I'll start bawling right now, eheheh…"

"Applause!" the compere shouted and the audience started clapping loudly. Once it stopped, he continued. "Maybe some of the other members of the unit? Some anecdotes?"

Minna came up to the mic and said, "I have a little one, mostly educational."

"Please!"

"Treat your paperwork seriously, but don't make the work environment overall to strict. When I was in the 501st, Toshiro helped me a lot with it, and it was really nice, since we always could talk to each other. And there's nothing better for a Karlslander to hear praise that they have _ordnung_ in their _papieren_!"

After a bit of applause, Mio ran up, shooing off her friend.

"I have one myself!"

"Do tell!"

"Perseverance is the key. There was a time when I couldn't even make a sandwich, not to mention anything that required boiling or baking something. But I persevered in my quest to obtain the knowledge about the arcane arts of the kitchen, and now, even my grandchildren use my recipes! Right, Shinobu!?"

"S-Sure!" Shinobu replied a bit hesitantly from the audience.

"I think that was all," Shinobu smiled and returned to her place.

"And now, a treat for you, dear ladies, gentlemen and some children. Recently, the 777th International Fighter Wing was formed, and is being stationed in the Lebyazhye Air Base, having Volgograd in their field of operations. Today, all their active members are with us, and what's more, all of them are grandchildren of the valiant girls that fought for humanity during the Second Neuroi War! Girls, come up to the scene!"

"That's your cue, go!" the director said loudly, and the girls started moving.

Slowly but surely, everyone entered the scene and placed themselves beside their relatives. Marie stood beside Perrine, Giulietta beside Francesca, Elwyn besides Shirley, Tatiana besides Sanya, Elizabeth besides Lynne, Aina beside Eila, Shinobu beside Mio, Sieglinde beside Erica, Elsa beside Trude, Angela beside Minna, and Aya between Yoshika and Toshiro. After a brief moment of confusion, Toshiro raked in Nami to his side.

"This is it! Two generations of Witches, and a Wizard!" the man shot a wink towards Toshiro, earning a smile from him. "This is the new generation that protects our glorious Mother Orussia from the Neuroi abominations! _Slava vyedmom_ (Glory to the witches)!"

" _Slava_!" the audience roared and gave them a standing ovation.

Aya somehow stood there calm, much to her surprise.

 _"_ _So many people, and I didn't have a breakdown or anything… Maybe I like the proverbial shine of the spotlights? Or… Awwww, Grandpa… You don't have to calm me down with your magic… But if you insist, heehee…"_

The compere calmed down the audience and said, "Now, let's bid farewell to our dear guests! Thank you 501st, and thank you 777th!"

The whole group exited the hall and were led to something akin to a temporary room for all of them with refreshments on the table.

"COUSINS!" Elsa and Nami cheered, and the first one grabbed Yoshika, while the latter one clung onto Toshiro.

"Hahaha, damn it! This never gets old!" Toshiro laughed. "How are you, Nami?"

"Good!"

"And good to hear! And you, Elsa, are you pissing off everyone with your behavior?"

"Only my Karlslander friends!"

"Hahaha!"

"Elsa you oaf, come here!" Trude shouted.

"Coooomiiing!" Elsa separated herself from Yoshika and ran off to her grandmother. "Grandma!" she cheered and jumped into the arms of Trude.

"Ugh, Elsa, Elsa… You totally went Hartmann!"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Erica protested.

"You know what, damn you to hell!"

"Pfff, I have no problems with my granddaughter, although I think she would suit you more, Trudy."

"I have the same feeling…" Sieglinde sighed. "Ouch, what was that for?!" she protested after being pinched in the thigh.

"Respect your elders!" Erica raised her finger.

"Yes Grandma…"

"Nice legs though…" Erica winked.

"Thanks…" Sieglinde blushed.

"So, how is it here?" Perrine asked her descendant.

"It's nice, Grandma Perrine. It's warm inside the base, I have a lot of friends, and recently I improved my shooting skills!"

"Oh, this is very nice," Perrine now lowered her voice to a whisper. "Say, how are you coming along with Aya?"

"Good, why are you asking?"

"Old rivalry, heh…" Perrine winked.

"Ah… Should I give her the raccoon dog treatment?"

"Sure!"

"Heheheh… Okay, Grandma Perrine, I'll do it!"

While the two Gallians were plotting, Lynne asked Elizabeth, "How is your… condition?"

"Oh, it's improving a bit… Katie is taking care of me, and I'm training with my Pyrokinesis now."

"You sure are a poor thing… And who would have thought that my daughter would hook up with the son of one of the Fire Sisters, heh…"

"Well, I have a nice lineage thanks to that, Grandma. And…"

When the Britannian was explaining something, Mio laughed in her trademark way and asked, "So, granddaughter of mine how is your training going?"

"Ugh, we're doing physical exercises only now, Mio…"

"So it seems that you have to have live practice with your sword, hahaha! Say, did you use it?"

"Yup! Twice already, but I missed a Core once…"

"Even the best have their weaker moments, don't worry, Shino."

"Graaaaaaaandmaaaa, not you tooo?!"

"Hahaha!"

"My, loud as ever…" Minna sighed. "How are you going along with the others, Angela?"

"Somewhat good."

"Somewhat good she says… Tell me… Are you friends with Shinobu?"

"Uh, yeah… We did the obvious ritual even…" Angela said with slightly red cheeks.

"Heh, so nice to know. Ah, the good times… We were…"

As Minna was reminiscing, Francesca asked the obvious question, "So, how many boobs did you grope up, Giulli?!"

"Three pairs…" she mumbled.

"Booooo! Bad! Very bad! You're a disgrace to the family name! But… Did you at least grope Shirley's granddaughter?"

"Who, what?!" Shirley asked. "My granddaughter groped by a Lucchini?!"

"Um…" both the granddaughters lowered their heads."

"So you did!" Francesca cheered. "My girl!" she started patting Giulietta on the back.

"Sheesh, I hope you at least showed some resistance…" Shirley muttered.

"No…"

"What?! The next thing you'll say is that you invited her!"

"Uh… Yeah… I wanted her to have a go and stop at that…"

"Jesus… Franny, god damn you! Groping tits must have some gene you passed on! I should…"

At the same time Shirley was berating Francesca and the whole Lucchini clan back to medieval times, Eila and Sanya were staring a hole in their two granddaughters.

"W-What?" Aina asked.

"Are you two close?" Eila dropped the bomb.

"Holy shit… Grandma, I'm straight! And Tanya is! But if you want to ask, we're on a night patrol team together…"

"No need to lash out on me…" Eila puffed her cheeks.

"See, I told you, Eila. Our children are straight, and our grandchildren are too. We're the anomalies it seems, heehee…" Sanya giggled.

"Anomalies… Puh…" Eila pouted.

During Eila's fit, Aya was asked, "So, how is your condition, Aya?"

"Good, Grandma Yoshika… I'm progressing a bit… The girls like me… I like the girls…"

"So nice to hear…" Yoshika patted Aya on the head carefully.

"Any guys in the unit?" Toshiro smirked.

"Uhhhhh…. Uuuuuuuuuuuuuh…" Aya was close to panicking. "Y-Yes…"

"That was suspicious…" Toshiro ruffled his eyebrows.

"His name is Kola," Nami grinned.

"Naaami! Traitor!" Aya puffed her cheeks and turned away from her cousin.

"W-Wha? You got a nice boyfriend…"

"Boyfriend already?" Yoshika asked. "Heehee, Toshiro, it seems our genes finally found a focal point, heehee…"

"Well no shit… Hope he's not some wimp?"

"N-No… He's even bigger than you, Grandpa…"

"I'll be damned! Ha, then I approve!"

"Hey, what about his personality, dumbo?!" Yoshika protested while staring daggers at Toshiro.

"He's nice, caring and… he's not in a hurry…"

"Not in a hurry? Well, look at that… What do you say, my dear hubby?"

"Double approved!"

"Heehee… Oh, Grandpa?"

"Yes?"

"Can I talk you on the side?"

"Sure, Sweetie."

They moved a bit to the corner of the room, and Toshiro felt as if something moved in his trouser pocket.

"Aya, did you…"

"It's a secret letter," Aya whispered. "Be sure to read it ASAP."

Toshiro nodded and said, "So, what did you want, Dearie?"

"I was wondering how Mom and Dad are…"

"Their managing with their daily lives, don't worry. And of course they're missing you."

"Yeah… Maybe I should call them one day…"

"Don't worry, Yoshika didn't call her mom for a month straight, and the world didn't end. And I'm always telling them that you're a von Edelweiss, not some random Schmidt, hahaha!"

"Heehee… Yeah… A von Edelweiss is something better I suppose… Okay, let's return to the rest."

"Shame our granddaughters are too young to participate…" Heidemarie sighed.

"Maybe it's better? We don't have to worry that one early morning or late afternoon, a guy from the military will stand on our doorstep with a straight face…" Shizuka said.

"Whatcha sulking about, huh?" Toshiro asked.

"More like pondering in a solemn atmosphere," Heidemarie smiled.

"You're probably thinking how it's good or bad that Kaguya and Aria are still considered underage by the military, huh?"

"Ugh, Toshiro, clever as ever," Shizuka smiled. "Yes, that's what we were thinking about."

"Ha, bingo! I still have it," he winked.

"Hey, Aya?" Heidemarie asked.

"Y-Yes?"

"You're cute," she smiled.

"T-T-Thank you…" Aya flared up with redness on her cheeks.

Mio approached Aya and asked, "So, Aya, did you clash swords with Shinobu yet?"

"I… I doubt that would be a good idea…"

"Why's that? Already feeling superior to my granddaughter, huh?"

"It's not like that…"

Toshiro however bailed her out of the predicament by whispering something into Mio's ear.

"Really?" she asked disgruntled. "For fucks sake…"

"But… I suppose we could spar with appropriate security measures…" Aya said unceirtanly.

"Right now, I don't care anymore… Ugh…" Mio muttered.

"Feeling bad, Mio? How about a kiss for old times' sake?" Minna asked flirtatiously.

"Go to hell!" Mio yelled, garnering laughs from the initiated.

As the two were bickering amongst each other, Shinobu approached Toshiro.

"Um… H-Hello, T-Toshiro- _sama_ …"

"Oh come on, Shinobu, don't call me like I'm some daimyo… Unless my suspicions are true…"

"W-What suspicions?"

"That you have a crush on me," he whispered.

Shinobu's face reddened immediately and she started fanning her face with her hands.

"N-Noooooo… That's p-preposterous, Toshiro- _sama_ …"

"Heh… Have it your way," Toshiro said and patted her on the head.

"Ooooh… Oooooh… Toshiro- _sama_ is patting me on the head… Ooooh the bliss…"

"Toshiro, will you stop my granddaughter having an orgasm already?" Mio asked.

"Yeah, yeah…" he said and walked over towards Sanya, leaving the blissful Shinobu in her own world.

Toshiro placed his hand on Sanya's shoulder and asked, "How are you doing?"

"As you see, on the outside it's fine… But inside… Toshiro, how did you deal with it?" Sanya asked sadly.

"A lot of thinking, Sanya… Very much thinking, and a distraction, a new hobby… But you know that I can't compare, right?"

"I don't know myself…" Sanya said sadly.

"Eila, I leave her in your hands."

"Don't worry, Toshiro, she's always in my hands when it's needed," Eila smiled warmly and hugged her partner.

As he walked away, Tatiana shyly walked before the two.

"Hi, Grandma…"

Sanya took one arm off Eila and extended it to her. Tatiana hugged the two in a warm embrace.

The door opened all of a sudden and the director entered.

"Splendid performance, everyone! Now, the bus is waiting to take the 501st to the airport, and the 777th can go their way. Everyone say their goodbyes, and I hope we will meet again!"

After a series of warm hugs and all other sort of goodbyes, the ways of the two units parted. Before the 777th boarded the trucks, Ellie said, "Nicely done, ladies. Now, Shinobu and Angela – divide our food and hot tea, and we'll be going."

"Roger ma'am," the two said in sync.

After everyone got their portion, they boarded the vehicles and went to the way back.

 **Inside Dutybound-4**

 **1510 MSK**

Toshiro looked around, and saw that everyone was a bit on the sleepy side, so he pulled out the letter Aya gave him.

"Hmm? What's that? Fan mail?" Yoshika asked while clinging to his left arm.

"Aya gave it to me, as if she was passing on microfilms… I wonder what the matter is."

"Read it, I'll turn away."

"Thanks."

Toshiro ripped open the envelope, and the started reading. With every sentence, his emotions changed like on a teeter-totter. Finally, he crumpled up the letter and envelope and burned it with his Sacred Flame.

"Oh, Toshiro? What happened?" she asked after seeing the fireworks.

"Forgive me, Yoshika, but I'll have to rejoin the military for a few days…" Toshiro said with determination.

"Awwww… But what happened?"

"I'll tell you when we are alone, there are too many ears listening to us."

 **Inside the ZIL-130**

 **1600 MSK**

It was slowly getting dark, and all the cars had their headlamps turned on. Aina was napping as usual, but Marie and Tatiana were conscious.

"I think I know a good way to keep us all awake…" Ellie said without anyone specific in mind and fired up her short-range transponder. "Okay girls, it's story time. Katie, mind telling everyone our story?"

"You mean the one from back then?" she answered. "Okay then. I kind of wanted to do that anyway. So listen up, girls…"

 **December 13, 1981**

 **0212 CET**

 **Sky over the Terespol-Brest border crossing, Lehistan-Chernarus border**

"We will either survive together, or die together," Ellie said and made a sign of a cross over her chest. "Let the Virgin Mary have us in her grace…"

"But we won't go down without a fight!" Katie shouted and raised her weapon. "Come on, Ellie!"

"Yes! Let's take down as much as we can!"

The barrage of beams flew towards the two, but it was so concentrated that they didn't have problems evading it. Using her inherent magic, she increased the ballistic properties of her NSV to the brink. The smaller Neuroi were being mowed down like ripe wheat in August. Katie, who clung with one hand to Ellie's back, was giving her friend direction on how to evade the beams with microscopic movements of her hand, while gathering info on enemy positions and movement with her magic.

However, suddenly, all of the Neuroi disappeared in one fell swoop.

"Katie, what's happening?!"

"Motherf… Sorry, they must have gone invisible somehow! I can still sense them but…"

A red beam zipped through the air and hit Katie in her right Striker Leg.

"Aaaaagh!" she cried in pain.

"Katie! Katie!" Ellie shrieked in panic.

"I think it only got the Striker… Don't worry…"

This time a pair of beams hit their target, being the other Leg of Katie and one of Ellie's.

"Blasted cowards!" she roared. "Go visible, you dishonorable monsters!"

"Ugh, I guess this is curtains for us…" Katie said with a weak voice.

Ellie looked down at Katie's left leg, and she saw that her bare leg was visible and heavily bleeding.

"I won't let them get us…"

She looked at the forest under her, and she suddenly saw a light flickering and moving around in the air.

 _"_ _Worth a try!"_

Under heavy fire, and with only one Leg working, Ellie soared towards the light source.

 **?**

Katie opened her eyes slowly. She saw an unfamiliar wooden ceiling, and a strong herbal scent attacked her nose. After looking to her left, she saw Ellie sleeping at her bedside, sitting on some small stool.

" _Slava Hospodu_ (Praise the Lord), you have woken up," an unknown, old woman's voice came to her from her right.

She turned her head in that direction and saw and old woman, siting by the bedside, and a window covered with a curtain letting through some sunlight.

"Who are you?" Katie asked.

"Aaaah, I am but a servant of God… Your friend was very adamant that I heal your leg."

"My leg…" Katie looked down and saw her left leg bandaged up. "A folk healer serving God… First time I'm seeing a _szeptucha_ in person. I suppose I have to thank you…"

"Thanks God, dear child, I'm but a vessel of his power," the granny smiled.

"So, where are we, if I may ask?"

"We're in my small hut in the forest a bit west from Muchavec. That's in Chernarus, Sweetie."

"How long did I sleep?"

"It would be about ten hours. I had to give your friend some herbs so she could fall asleep."

"I see… But the Neuroi! We have to report to Warsaw!"

"Hush, child. The _d'yavoly_ are now irrelevant. You have to recuperate, and your flying legs are in tatters."

"I see…" Katie mumbled and looked at Ellie. "What the fuck happened…?"

 **Present day**

 **Inside the UAZ-469**

"Later that day, the old lady stopped a convoy making a run for it to Pinsk. They took us with them, and in that city, we found some old MiG-15's and made a beeline for Minsk."

"From there, they ordered us to stand down…" Ellie said.

"But why?" Shinobu asked.

"The enemy forces where overwhelming… According to eyewitnesses that made it out alive, the sky was black from the amount of the Neuroi…" Ellie sighed. "We were transferred onto Soviet command afterwards and after a year and a bit, we got to command the 777th."

"In the meantime we found out that the unit in which we served previously was wiped out…" Katie said with a voice void of all emotions. "All our friends died, and we lived because, oh irony, we were the first ones to fight…"

Katie felt that somebody put a hand on her shoulder. It was her cousin, and the rest joined in. Surprisingly, in the ZIL, Tatiana tried to cheer up her commander non-verbally in the same manner.

"Thanks…" both Katie and Ellie said in sync.

* * *

The ride continued on, and they all arrived safely back in the base around 5 PM.

"Uuuuugh… Finally home…" Katie sighed. "Okay girls, we'll do an early supper today. And if it's supper then…"

"I'm up!" Elizabeth cheered.

"Yes, you and Elwyn, hahaha!"

"I guess we could do some light training…" Sieglinde pondered.

"No!" a choir of voices interrupted her.

"Okay, okay, I was kidding, sheesh…" Sieglinde grumbled discontented.

"Marie, come with me, it's training time," Ellie said.

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh, c-can I watch?" Aya asked.

"Curious of my training methods?"

"T-That and I l-like that rifle…"

"Ha, okay, you can join in. But pull your weight and carry the ammo for Marie."

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

"Also, get your equipment off the truck first."

"Y-Yes!"

After Aya ran to the truck, Ellie said, "The rest of you are free, dismissed."

"Roger!" the gremial shout sounded in the hangar and the girls went off.

"Prepare the ammo for Aya, Marie. Five clips for the FAMAS and five training grenades if you have so many."

"Yes ma'am."

Once Aya finished stowing away her equipment, she trotted off to Marie, who was waiting for her with a nice stack of munitions.

"Ooooh… R-Rifle grenades?"

"Yes, dummies, just as the commander told me."

"Hmm… N-Never fired one…"

"I'll give you a shot if Marie will be doing well," Ellie said. "Now, follow me."

Aya scooped up everything with both of her hands and she followed the two outside to the makeshift shooting range. It was now lit with one searchlight, standing beside Ellie.

"Now, Marie, let's see how much of your skill has left you through the night. Lock and load, you know the target."

"Yes ma'am," Marie said and picked off a mag from Aya's hands.

After loading it, she started firing shots at the mid-range target.

"Twenty-two of twenty-five! One more, I want to see if it's not a fluke!"

Marie smiled barely visibly and popped in another mag. Ten seconds later it was empty.

"Twenty-three! Hoho! Now I'm impressed! A 92% accuracy rate is something terrific!"

"T-Thank you, ma'am…" Marie blushed slightly.

"Uh, ma'am?" Aya raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"K-Katie said something a-bout your m-magic, ma'am…"

"Ah, you want to see? Why not, I like to show off sometimes. Throw me a mag, Aya."

Aya silently threw Ellie a clip, and in a similar manner, Marie passed on her rifle.

"Thank you," she loaded the rifle and said, "You might not want to blink.

 _"_ _Kuro?"_

 _"_ _Just use my power, Mistress."_

 _"_ _I think I will."_

The FAMAS lit up with a small glow, and just as Ellie put her finger on the trigger, Aya slowed down time ten times.

 _"_ _Woah! The rifle is firing at normal speed! So she really has some ballistic modification magic…"_

When the clip was half-empty, Aya disabled her time dilution magic, and she saw the rest of the rounds being fired off in one single, undistinguishable salvo.

"Impressed, Aya?" Ellie asked with a roguish smile.

"Well… I don't w-want to be a s-stick in the mud…"

"But?"

"I h-have time dilution magic…"

"Oh right… So you saw it in slow motion?"

"Half-half."

"Well, I would probably do the same. Now, could you return the favor?"

"Hmm?"

"You could fire off the FAMAS with your time dilution magic active."

"Errr… T-That would be b-bad…"

"Why so, Aya?" Ellie asked calmly.

"S-Sure, it would fire f-faster, but the w-wear on the rifle would be c-collosal…"

"Oooooh, you're right… Snap, I haven't thought of it that way, since my magic protects the weapon from inside out… Eh, then maybe you just want to squeeze of a mag normally?"

"Oh, can I?"

"Sure, have at it."

"Uh, Marie?"

"Yes, coming."

Marie took the grenades and one clip from Aya's hands, leaving her with one in her right hand. Ellie threw her the rifle, and Aya loaded it swiftly.

"Hoho, nice proficiency," Ellie said. "Let's see how you shoot.

Silently, Aya began shooting. Once she finished, Ellie said, "Well… Um… Perfect shooting, Aya."

Aya only threw a cold stare to her, which suddenly turned into a warm grin.

"So, now let's move to firing grenades. Care to demonstrate, Marie?"

"Yes ma'am. Aya?"

"Here," she said and gave Marie her rifle back.

Just after she loaded a mag, Ellie asked, "Just like that?"

"Yes ma'am. From what I remember, these grenades have a… shot something…"

"A shot trap? Not bad, carry on."

Marie then attached a grenade on the top of the barrel, and she positioned herself in a most peculiar position. She wrapped her left arm under the rifle and grabbed the butt stock with the left hand, while grabbing the pistol grip with her right hand.

"Are you sure that will work?" Ellie asked with a bit of fear.

"Um, that's how it looked in the manual…"

"Well then, if the manual showed it like that, then it's sacred. First target I guess, fire when ready."

Marie aimed, and when she pressed the trigger, the grenade was fired. Unfortunately, the recoil was so big that the back of the hand guard smacked her in the face. She fell on her back and grabbed her nose.

"Ooooooooooowwwww!"

Ellie and Aya immediately ran up to her, and the former asked, "Marie, everything okay?"

"It huuuuuuuuurdz!" she moaned with tears in her eyes.

"Show me," Aya said with a firm voice.

Marie hesitantly moved her hands from her face, and revealed that her nose was bent under an unnatural angle and bleeding heavily.

"Ouch…" Ellie winced.

"Ish it dat bad?"

Aya took off her warm hat and said, "Bite on it; it will hurt a bit…"

Marie opened her mouth, and bit on the cap firmly. As Aya almost grabbed her nose, she closed her eyes and braced herself. Aya took Marie's nose firmly in her hand and pulled it sharply. Marie's muffled scream could wake the dead and bring the more compassionate to tears, and the grinding noise of cartilages could make the weaker ones faint, thus Ellie started stroking her head. "It's okay, Marie, wait just a bit more…"

Aya released Marie's nose, and a small blue ball engulfed Marie's head. Marie relaxed by the second, and when the magic stopped and she removed the cap from her mouth, she said, "It doesn't hurt…"

"See? Everything's over…" Ellie said warmly. "But seriously, Marie, what went wrong?"

"Uuuugh… I think I know… Can I have my rifle please?"

Aya took the FAMAS and gave it to Marie.

"See this ring on the far back of the barrel?"

"Yes," Ellie said.

"It's there to regulate the muzzle velocity of the grenades… For somebody as weak and inexperienced as me, it should be screwed up halfway…"

"Oh… That explanation makes sense. But no more rifle grenades for today, okay? We're going back."

"Yes ma'am…" Marie sulked. "Oh… And… Thanks Aya…"

"No p-problem…"

 **Dining hall**

"Yabba dabba doo!" Fred Flintstone shouted from the TV and slid down on the tail of a dinosaur.

"Hey, Elwyn, you should watch this!" Nami shouted.

"I'm busy, damn it!" she yelled from the kitchen.

Suddenly, the siren rang, and Kola's voice said, "Girls, we have a problem. A bunch of SS-4's is heading towards Volgograd from the northwest. You have to sortie immediately."

"Fuck!" Katie shouted and fired up her transponder.

 **Hangar**

"Ellie, what to do? I'm halfway through preparing supper!"

"I'll go with Aya and Marie now, whoever can go over Mach 2 join us ASAP! And you prepare supper!"

"Will do!"

Ellie looked at Aya and Marie, and she noticed that Aya is giving her that cold stare again.

 _"_ _Hmmm… Something is off with Aya… But I'll have a talk with her later."_

"Come on, load your equipment, and let's go! No time to loose!

"Roger!" the two responded and all three started preparing, which took them only less than a minute. "Go, go, go!"

The engines of the Strikers whizzed and the three shot out of the hangar. It took them only two minutes, and they found a formation of ten enemies.

"Aya, disrupt their established flight path. Marie, follow me, and we'll light their bums on fire."

"Roger!" the two responded briskly, and Aya disappeared.

She reappeared before the enemy formation, making them stray away in all directions.

"Fire!" Ellie commanded, and both she and Marie started a heavy barrage. "Ah, crud! The muzzle flash is blinding me! Single fire, Marie!"

"Yes ma'am!"

The fire selectors on both of their guns clicked and they started point shooting the enemies. Two of them were relentlessly chasing Aya, while five were down already. The remaining three disappeared, and that's when a single beam was shot out of thin air. Marie didn't react in time, so it hit her unshielded left shoulder. Seeing that, Aya's _second_ personality was ejected, just a second after she killed the two Neuroi behind her. She zipped towards the Gallian immediately and shouted, "Commander, shield us!"

"Right!"

Ellie erected a big shield and flew before Aya and Marie.

"It huuuuuuurts! Ayaaaaa! It huuuuuuurts!" the Gallian yelled in pain.

"Shhhh! Keep calm, Marie!"

"I can't feel my arm!"

 _"_ _Shit, these goggles are crap! Ryugan!"_

Aya closed her eyes and pulled off her goggles. The world around her was now almost as bright as day, and vivid like an acid trip. She ripped apart the uniform where she saw the hit, and she almost threw up. Marie's shoulder blade as well as her whole left arm were holding together only thanks to some tendons and muscle fibers, peering out of a gashing wound in which one could put a grown man's fist in.

Aya's hand were trembling, but she managed to concentrate enough that her arms started glowing green. She grabbed Marie's shoulder just by the neck and her left arm at the joint, and she started pumping her healing magic into the wound. Ellie took a brief peek behind her, and she saw that in the green light, tendons, bones, muscle and skin tissue started regenerating at an astounding rate.

 _"_ _What the… Is that her healing Final Art? Just like her grandmother…"_

"Ayaaaaa! Ayaaaa!" Sieglinde shouted from the distance.

"I'm busy! There are three Neuroi left, and they've gone stealth!"

"What happened?!" Nami asked when she flew near the two.

"Marie got hit, but I'm almost finished healing her! Find the Neuroi, please!"

"On it!"

After a few seconds, the wound closed completely, and Aya said to Sieglinde beside her, "Take her…"

"Okay, Aya, but…"

"Take her!" she roared with her eyes glowing red in the darkness.

"Oh shit… Marie, let's scoot! Everyone, get away from Aya immediately! Now! I'm not kidding in the slightest!"

"What are you talking about?" Ellie asked.

"I'm telling you, run!"

"Okay, if you say so. Everyone retreat to where Sieglinde tells you, that's an order!"

"Come on, everyone! At least half a kilometer from here! And don't make a single noise after we stop!"

When the girls were retreating, Sieglinde, Elsa, and Angela were looking at Aya. Despite the relatively low image quality of the goggles, they could see a dark shadow encompassing her, slowly taking shape. It was then that they hear an inhuman roar, as if a beast from olden days woke up.

"W-What was that?!" Elwyn asked terrified.

"That is the _Drachenerwachung_. I told you all before that if Kuro senses a danger to Aya's psyche, he goes into either fight or flight mode. This is his fight mode…" Angela explained nervously.

"So Aya is now… what?" Giulietta asked.

"She's now just a body controlled by an enraged, legendary tier familiar. And now, everyone, please shut up, or we will all regret it."

If somebody fired a white colored flare above Aya, he would now see that she was clad in a layer of living shadows, with skeletal wings coming out of her back, claws instead of fingers, and fangs protruding from her mouth. She disappeared suddenly, and out of nowhere, a Neuroi exploded. A few seconds later, another Neuroi exploded, and the third one's fate was visible to all. Aya raised it above her head and ripped it apart with one swift movement. She roared again, and disappeared.

"Where…" Giulietta said, and suddenly, Aya appeared before her.

Fear struck the Romagnan's heart immediately as she gazed into the burning red eyes. But then, her eyes stopped glowing, and the shadow enveloping the Karlslander disappeared. Aya fell forward, and Giulietta caught her, although her heart was pounding like a jackhammer on overdrive.

"Hey, Giulie, snap out of it!" Nami snapped her fingers before Giulietta's eyes.

"W-What? Oh… Aya… I think I'll need to use the toilet when we get back…"

"And what facilities will Aya have to use?" Ellie asked.

"Her bed," Angela said. "A lot of it. I doubt she'll wake up before… five or six in the morning tomorrow."

"I see… Well, let's go back to base then. Katie is probably spewing curses now," Ellie smiled.

 **Dining Hall**

 **Suppertime**

Kola, seeing that the girls were rather bummed out, asked, "Hey, ladies, how about a joke to light up the atmosphere?"

"Have at it," Ellie shrugged.

"The soviet state decided to issue personal ID's to the Chukchi. Of course, you need pictures for such. One photographer on Chukotka got bored and concluded that all of the Chukchi look the same anyway, so if he made one picture, the rest could have theirs made from one negative. Everything went smooth until one of his _customers_ came with a complaint, "This is not my picture!" he shouted, and the photographer replied, "Not yours? Of course it is! That's your mug!" to which the Chukchi replied, "It's my mug, but not my jacket!""

Most of the girls snorted, but Elwyn asked, "Who are the Chukchi?"

"Orussian Eskimo's, to put it short," Ellie said.

"Oh…" Elwyn pondered and she took a spoon of soup into her mouth, but after a second, she snorted so violently that some of it came out of her nose.

"Welp, she understood…" Elizabeth muttered and started wiping Elwyn's nose.

"No more jokes today…" Kola sighed.

"Amen…" Ellie sighed after him and looked at Marie who barely ate anything. "Marie, what's wrong? Does something hurt you?"

"My guilty conscience…" the Gallian mumbled. "I've been an absolute burden today…"

Ellie smiled and stood up from her chair. She slowly walked up behind Marie and gave her a hug.

"Marie, the things that happened to you today are totally understandable, considering your lack of training. Is your arm okay?"

"Umm… _Oui…_ "

"And how about your nose?"

"Nose?" Elwyn asked.

"Poor Marie botched up with a rifle grenade and the recoil cracked her nose open…"

Elizabeth shuddered at the thought, but when she looked closer at Marie's intact nose, she calmed down.

"So Aya healed you twice today?" Angela asked. "My… No wonder you're feeling guilty…"

"And she fell unconscious after she saved my life…" Marie mumbled close to tears. "It's all my fault…"

Katie did something unexpected, as she quickly fetched a ladle from the kitchen and lightly smacked Marie on the head with it. The Gallian looked surprised at her with a face full of questions.

"Stop sulking, Marie. You are alive and well, and according to the rest of the Karlslanders, she'll be fresh as a spring daisy tomorrow. Eat up, or you won't have any energy to fight tomorrow. You know what that'll mean?"

"I… I'll be useless again? No, that can't happen!" Marie shouted and dug into her sandwich. "Thunk u!"

"Remember to thank Aya tomorrow," Sieglinde said with a sour face.

"I wull!" Marie nodded with a full mouth.

"Nicely done, Katie," Ellie patted her on the shoulder, while disarming her skilfully and stealthily.

"Heheh, well thank y…" she interrupted as she was smacked with a ladle on the forehead. "Heeey!"

"No corporal punishment in my unit," Ellie said and smiled disarmingly.

"Hypocrite!"

"We're friends, Katie. That was just horseplay."

"Ugh, whatever… Gimme that ladle, or your break it or something…"

"Of course," Ellie said and passed on the kitchen utensil. "Ladies and gentleman, eat up please. Angela, you're coming with me afterwards."

"Roger."

 **Commander's office**

 **After supper**

"Now, tell me, as if you were confessing your sins – what's the deal with Aya. Why, when she's in battle, does she look as if she wants to murder everyone including her friends?"

"I suppose we owe you that, ma'am," Angela sighed. "Aya is a peculiar case of…"

Angela started explaining Aya's condition in detail, and when she finished, Ellie asked, "How can she even serve in the military?"

"Her grandfather's influence, plus one more person about which we can't talk about now, plus the fact that Aya's second personality is _very_ deadly in combat, and when paired up with us, there still were no _accidents_."

"No accidents… Well okay… Come on, let's compile a report, and you can go."

 **Bedroom**

 **2130 MSK**

"Okay gals, lights out," Shinobu said and killed the lights.

She walked up to Aya's bunk, in which Nami and Sieglinde were hugging the Karlslander tightly from both sides.

"Really now?"

"It has subconscious therapeutic effects," Angela said.

"Proven!" Sieglinde added.

"Whatever now… Sleep tight, everyone."

"Good night dorm mother!" everyone conscious chimed in accord.

"Oh shut the fuck up…" Shinobu mumbled and went to her bunk.

 **Kola's bedroom**

 _"_ _Welp, no hugging, kissing, or touchy-feely stuff today… Ehh… But Aya really looked beat down, so I guess that even if she woke up now, she wouldn't be in the shape to do anything with me..."_

* * *

 **In case you're wondering - Toshiro was the first man in space, back in The Chosen One.**

 **The prologue to Ellie's and Katie's story is of course the prologue to CWC itself.**

 **Look up the interwebs about that FAMAS rifle grenade firing position, I couldn't believe it myself.**

 **Drachenerwachung - Dragon Awakening**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	29. Chapter 29 – She's back

Chapter 29 – She's back

* * *

Aya opened her eyes to total darkness surrounding her.

 _"_ _Kuuuro…"_

 _"_ _Yes, Mistress?"_

 _"_ _What's the time?"_

 _"_ _It's a few minutes past five, go back to sleep, please."_

 _"_ _Kuro… Did you go on a rampage again? I have the feeling you did…"_

 _"_ _Yes, Mistress, but I felt that was the best for you."_

 _"_ _Did anyone get hurt?"_

 _"_ _Anybody? No. Anything? Yes!"_

 _"_ _Oh, good to hear… So, I'll be dozing off I guess…"_

 _"_ _Your two friends have huddled up with you for the whole night."_

 _"_ _Heheh, I know, Kuro, I know…"_

 _"_ _I bet your man has been lonely."_

 _"_ _Oh… Yeah… Poor Kola… I intended to…"_

 _"_ _Reproduce?"_

 _"_ _Go to hell! I just wanted to make out with him a bit, just like… the day before yesterday…"_

 _"_ _Pardon, Mistress, but I always have this weird urge to help you pass on your genetic material..."_

 _"_ _Kuro, if you sabotage me one day, I'll tell on you!"_

 _"_ _Please don't!"_

 _"_ _Then be a good dragon, and leave my sexual life alone."_

 _"_ _Yes, Mistress…"_

Aya closed her eyes and decided to nap a bit of time.

 **Wunstorf Air Base, Karlsland**

 **January 22, 1983**

 **0350 CET**

A blonde beauty was looking at herself in the mirror. She was putting on a black pressurized suit, and because after the technicians would seal it off, she made sure that her breasts were sitting under it nicely.

"Frau Generalleutnant, are you ready?" a voice came from outside the room.

"Yes, pretty much, Jürgen!"

She took the helmet that was part of the suit with herself and exited the changing room. A twenty-five year old Leutnant was waiting for her in the corridor.

"If I may allow myself, you look stunning in this suit, Frau Generalleutnant."

"Heehee… You're always there to compliment me, my faithful adjutant," the woman said with an honest smile.

"Jawohl!" he responded briskly with a slightly red face.

They entered the hangar, where the technician was already waiting for them near the necessary equipment. The suit was first sealed tightly, just after the blonde put on her helmet. After pressurizing, the technician said, " _Druck normal, alles gut, Frau Generalleutnant_."

" _Danke sehr_ ," she answered with a voice muffled by her helmet.

Then, she approached a table where a big duffle bag was lying just like that, alongside a parachute. She picked it up, and then Jürgen asked, "Are you sure you're doing the right thing, Frau Generalleutnant?"

"Don't worry about me, everything is under control. Now go back to bed and get some sleep. Actually, get a few days of leave, the papers, _in blanco,_ are signed on my desk."

"Thank you! Ulrike will be happy!"

"You have to care about your wife, not that her pregnancy is coming to an end. Bye now."

" _Aufwiedersehen_!"

She took the parachute, and walked out into the cold, dark night, lit only by the exterior hangar lights and the landing lights of the perfectly clear runway. The sleek, black KVKU EF-152 _Himmelssucher_ was waiting for her with an opened hatch. Once she walked in, the intercom sounded with the voice of the pilot.

" _Gutten Morgen, Frau Generalleutnant_. It so seems that you're dead serious about this trip."

"I'm dead serious about everything I do. Now, lock that hatch, and let's go."

" _Jawohl_. Locking hatch, please stand clear."

The hatch started closing itself, and once it was closed, the pilot said, "Pressurizing cabin."

A hiss could be heard, and the air pressure around the woman rose.

"Everything ready, Frau Generalleutnant. Please seat yourself, and we'll be going."

"Understood."

The woman took a seat, buckled up, and relaxed.

 _"_ _This will be fun."_

She looked at the container that was just at the end of the ramp, with its own parachute attached. She affixed the duffle bag she had with herself to the container.

 _"_ _And this will be even funnier."_

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Bedroom**

 **0700 MSK**

Katie opened her eyes and sat on her bed. After yawning for a prolonged period, she looked towards Ellie's bed. The Leh was sitting on the bed and looking at the window in a deadpan manner.

"Hey, Ellie, good morning."

"Hi, Katie," she said monotonously.

"Thinking about the letter, huh?"

"I didn't have the time to ask Aya whether she delivered it…"

"I patted her coat when I had an occasion, nothing there."

"Oh, you dirty spy you…" Ellie smiled slightly. "Do you think he read it?"

"I bet he did, if Aya gave him enough incentive. And nukes aren't falling on our heads, so I guess he didn't escalate things."

"Heh, yes… I hope today will be calmer…"

"Yeah, geez. Yesterday was just too much. First a boring trip, with an interlude in the form of a shabby show, and then Aya going ballistic on the Neuroi."

"And Marie getting her nose broken, and almost dying from a hit afterwards…" Ellie sighed

"She probably used up her quota for bad luck till the next century," Katie snickered.

"Or into the next generation," Ellie smiled faintly.

"Yeah, yeah… Now what should I do now that I'm awake?"

"Go watch some TV. Maybe there's something meaningful on."

"Good idea. Ugh… I have the feeling that today will be a bad day after all…"

"Don't jinx it, stupid."

 **Bedroom**

 **0720 MSK**

For the second time today, Aya opened her eyes. First, she looked to the right, and surprisingly, she saw that Sieglinde was still sleeping. Therefore, she turned to the right, and saw that Nami was smiling at her.

"Ohayo, Aya."

"Heehee, morning, Nami."

"How are you feeling?"

"Good, I guess. You're worried about me after yesterday, right?"

"Mhm…"

"Nah, Kuro leaves me pooped, but after a good night's sleep, I'm fresh as a daisy."

"Good to hear!"

"What's good to hear?" Sieglinde mumbled and hugged Aya tightly.

"Come on, Sigi… You cuddled me through the whole night…"

"Heheh…"

"Oh, Aya, wake up Elsa, she's on cooking duty for breakfast."

"Ah, okay… On it."

Aya silently peeked over the edge of the top bunk. Elsa was sleeping away as if nothing in the world mattered. Remembering yesterday, Aya poked her cousin's cheek and dove back under the bunk. She carefully looked back, but she saw no change. After another round of poke-and-hide, Aya sighed and straddled on the oblivious Elsa. She started to mash up her face, making such grimaces that made her giggle.

"Bwuuh, Ayuh, shtop…"

"Are you awake, Elsa?"

"Yuh…" Aya moved over and let Elsa sit. "Uh, Aya… My cheeks hurt… But I see you're okay."

"Mhm," she nodded.

"That's good. Oooookaaaaaaaay…" she yawned. "Time to go on duty… What a drag… At least I'll get to know Marie and Katie a bit better."

"Always look on the bright side of life," Aya mused.

"Heh, just don't start whistling now."

"Heehee, I won't, I promise."

Marie woke up on her own, but as she saw Aya, she averted her gaze.

 _"_ _Hmm? Oh… I might have an idea what that's all about…"_

Aya looked to her right, and she saw a swift movement of the blanket, and Giulietta totally concealed by it.

 _"_ _And that, I don't really know… Kuro, methinks you messed up a bit more than I anticipated yesterday… Don't apologize!"_

She returned to her bunk, between Sieglinde and Nami.

"Will you two go to your own beds already?"

"No!" the two cheered and double-teamed Aya.

"Oh, you two are the worst!" Aya squirmed around in the clutches of the two.

"Kids to the umpteenth power…" Angela sighed from her bunk.

"You can say that again, sister…" Elwyn mumbled.

 **Corridor**

"The three sure are a nice bundle," Elsa smiled. "Marie, why are you so gloomy today?"

"I did some thinking, and my confidence sank like the Titanic," she sighed. "I can't look Aya in the eyes… I only caused trouble…"

"Meh, don't be beaten down by it. Shit happens all the time," Elsa patted her on the shoulder.

"But I got hurt because I didn't shield myself and…"

"Oh shush! Aya had to heal me too after a crash, and nobody even said a bad word."

"She did?"

"Yeah. Bout half a year ago my Striker failed when I was approaching to land. It all happened so fast that nobody even reacted, and since I was in the back of the formation… Well… I guess the clamor of me tumbling down the concrete runway caught their attention…"

"Oh my…"

"Both of my arms, my left leg, and probably my ribs were broken, so it was serious shit. Thankfully, that is when Aya's healing Final Art decided to get active. She healed me in a snap, hugged me, and fainted. And as I said, literally nobody said a bad word – our instructor, our superiors, Aya, Sieglinde, or Angela. Because there are things you can do, and things you can't do. Bah, they even praised me for pushing Aya forward!"

"Oh my… That's deep coming from you… I… I mean…"

"Heheh, it's okay, many perceive me as a ditz. I got… what… ah, a hundred and forty IQ, but I prefer to be a cheerful girl, not some kind of stuck up intellectualist."

"It takes a genius to play an idiot I suppose… Thank you for you kind words, Elsa. I'm really at ease thanks to you. Now I can definitely apologize to her!"

"Heh, no prob! Now, let's hurry, or Katie will wipe the floor with us!"

They ran into the dining hall, and Katie upon seeing them moaned, "Finaaaaally… There's literally nothing on the tube right now, and even if, it's in some gibberish language…"

"We're here to please!" Elsa cheered.

"Heheh, I hope you won't take it the Giulietta route?"

"Nah!" Elsa waved her hand lazily.

"So, Elsa, I guess you're skilled in cooking?"

"Yuh, pretty much. Not as much as Aya, but I wouldn't starve."

"And you, Marie?"

"Um, mostly soups."

"We will work something out then. Oh, is your shoulder okay?"

"Yes, it's like new," Marie smiled.

"Cool! To the kitchen then!" Katie cheered and turned around.

 **Bedroom**

"Hey, snuggle muffins; I think it's slowly time to get dressed," Shinobu said from the side of Aya's bed.

"I concur," Angela added.

"They are right…" Aya said quietly. "Scoot, both of you."

"You don't love us anymore, Aya…?" Nami asked with puppy eyes.

"Oh stop, Nami. Shoo, I want to get dressed. You too, Sigi."

"Yeah, going," she said and jumped over to her bunk. "Oh? Hey, Peshi, Pesky or how it's pronounced, get out from under that blanket of yours."

"Nobody will hurt me?" Giulietta asked afraid.

"Why the fuck would anyone want to hurt you? I mean… Oooooh…" Sieglinde realized something suddenly. "No, she won't hurt you, don't worry."

"You sure?"

"Get out or I'll hurt you myself!"

"Wah!" Giulietta immediately dropped the blanket and sat straight.

"Much better," Sieglinde said with a satisfied face.

Giulietta looked at Aya, but after they made eye contact, she quickly turned away and started dressing herself.

 _"_ _I think I know what's going on with Giulietta… Thanks, Sigi!"_

Aya started dressing herself, and at the same time, Elwyn whispered to the Romagnan, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

"It's about yesterday, right?"

"Sort of…"

"Ehhh… Suit yourself."

After everyone was ready, the whole bunch led by Shinobu landed in the dining hall.

"Hey, Elsa!" Sieglinde shouted.

"Wha?" she answered from the kitchen.

"I hope you don't want to poison us?"

"If I wanted to poison you, you'd be dead without knowing it!"

"Good to know, I'll let you taste my food first!"

"Hahaha!"

"Now, now, I see you're all in high spirits?" Ellie asked as she came in behind them.

"Yes ma'am!" Sieglinde answered with a smile on her face.

"Good! Nothing like good motivation to work!"

"Heh, thanks…"

"Now, where is our favorite polar bear…" Ellie pondered and peeked out into the corridor. "Ah, there he comes. Katie, when?"

"A minute or two, get ready for breakfast!"

Kola got into the room and said, " _Zdrastvujcie, rebiata_."

"Heehee, _zdrastvuj_ ," Aya giggled and ran up to him.

Kola smiled wryly and patted her on the head, "Now, much better. So, are you okay?"

"Mhhm…"

"She's fine and dandy," Elwyn said. "At least she looks and behaves like it."

"Eeeeeellliiiiieeeeee!" Katie moaned from the kitchen.

"What is it?"

"We're low on supplieeeees…"

"Oh snap… We'll have to go to Kamyshyn again…" Ellie sighed. "Okay girls, get seated, and let's eat. I guess you'll have a job again today, Aya."

"Oh… Well… Last t-time was… bearable…"

"Then you'll have to bear a few more hours," Ellie winked.

/-/

Ellie observed Aya and her friends all the time during the meal, and she came to a conclusion.

"Aya, Giulietta."

"Yes?" both asked curiously.

"You'll both go for a supply run."

"Eh?" Giulietta tilted her head with her mouth opened slightly.

"Get those corn cobs out of your ears," Katie said.

"I won't let this happen!" Sieglinde yelled. "I can't let those two go together without supervision!"

"Can it, Sieglinde," Ellie said firmly. "I have decided."

"Ugh… Yes ma'am…" Sieglinde replied sourly.

"Katie, write up what we need. I'll write you two some tips and directions. Go get dressed, and we'll meet in the lobby."

"Yes ma'am," Aya and Giulietta stood up and went out.

"So… We're together… Alone… On a m-mission…" Aya said quietly.

"Errr… Yeah…" Giulietta said from behind her.

Both went into the bedroom, put on their warm coats and caps, and when they were going out, Sieglinde shot a glare that could kill if it was possible at Giulietta. And surprisingly, she totally ignored it.

 _"_ _The hell!"_

Sieglinde grabbed her shoulder and whispered, "Do anything to Aya, and I'll make sure you won't be able to grab anything."

"Yeah…" she responded apathetically.

The Karlslander raised an eyebrow and before letting Giulietta go, she whispered,

"Don't be afraid of her."

 _"_ _This is weird… She's really afraid of Aya now… But maybe that will bind her hands, heh…"_

The two went on to the lobby and waited in absolute silence. Whenever Aya shot a covert look at Giulietta, the latter already had her gaze averted. Ellie came in after a few minutes, and she handed over sheet of paper to Aya saying, "These are directions, and here…" she pulled out an envelope. "Here is your money for the trip. If something is left then… hmm, treat it as a bonus. And don't rush," she winked.

"Yes ma'am!" Aya cheered.

"Now, off you go. Take the truck and bon voyage!"

They trotted off, but as soon as they found themselves in the lobby, Marie ran out after them from the bedroom.

"Aya, please wait!"

"Oh?" Giulietta asked surprised. "Ah, I think I know what this is about… I'll wait outside…" she said quietly and moved on.

"What…" Aya wondered as she looked at Marie coming in fast. "Uhm…"

Marie grabbed Aya's right hand and shouted, "I'm sorry, Aya! I'm sorry you had to witness my weakness! I'm sorry you fainted! I'm sorry you couldn't eat supper yesterday!"

"Ah… Well…" Aya slowly said with red cheeks. "I… It's nothing… You're okay… I-I'm okay… A-At least I know my magic works, heheh… So… Uh… Train diligently!"

"Thank you, Aya!" Marie cheered and gave her a surprise smooch on the cheek, and ran away.

"Hoho…" Giulietta said not so quietly from the outside, whilst peering inside through the door. "What a fiery apology!"

"I… I don't know… I don't know w-what t-to think…" Aya said and shook her head. "Ah, we have to go!

"Uh, yeah…" Giulietta's previous mood sprung back on. "You first…"

They went on towards the truck. When Aya got in, she saw that the Romagnan had placed herself as far as possible away from her.

 _"_ _What gives? Ugh… I won't make a scene right now…"_

Aya turned the ignition key, and drove off. However, just after Lebyazhye itself, she pulled over violently on the side of the road. After taking a deep breath, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about…" she answered while looking away.

"Is it… Is it about yesterday?"

Giulietta bit her lips for a few seconds and she said, "Yes…"

"Oh… Did I hurt you? Please t-tell me!"

"You… You scared me…" she answered with her voice trembling.

"How did I scare you?"

"You… You looked like some _diavolo_ … And… And you appeared before me so suddenly… And your eyes…"

Aya grabbed her jaw and forced her to look into her eyes, "What eyes?"

Giulietta winced, but she looked at Aya's di-colored eyes and said, "Y-You know… Red…"

"Are they red now?"

"N-No…"

Aya smiled and said, "Then why are you scared?"

"I… I don't know… Huh? Why was I scared actually?"

"I don't know either," Aya grinned.

"Thanks Aya… I behaved like a total _idiota_ …"

"I… I s-suppose you could be afraid… I saw a picture of K-Kuro when he p-possesses me…"

"Scary, huh?"

"Heh, yes… Like a demon from hell…"

"You haven't stuttered so much right now, how does that work?"

"Oh… If I like someone I stop stuttering…" Aya said with a small blush donning her cheeks and she turned on the engine. "W-We have to go!"

 _"_ _So she doesn't stutter when she likes somebody… So Aya likes me? Wow!_ Bene _!"_

In a few minutes, their truck stopped before a shop under a sign with **пекарня** written on it.

"What's this place?"

"The sign reads out as _pekarnya,_ which means bakery."

"Ah. What are we buying?"

"Bread, stupid!" Aya giggled. "And maybe some rolls."

"Ugh, where did my brain go… Heeere, Brainy!"

"Hahahaha!" Aya laughed and exited the car.

They both entered the store with a bell ringing above them when they did opened the door. There was nobody beside a lady in her thirties, wearing an apron.

" _Zdrast'cie_ ," she said.

"Um, _zdrastvujcie_ ," Aya said. "W-We want to buy s-some bread."

"You are from the military, da?"

"Y-Yes ma'am."

"Fine then, then we're stocked. How much?"

Aya read off the amount from the paper she had, and the clerk answered, "Doable. Mishaaaaa! _Zahadi_ (get over here)!" she then looked over at Aya and said, "Pay up front, according to this," she pointed out at a piece of paper glued onto the wall with prices written over it. "No haggling."

Aya gave her a bill, and got some change in return. Then, a lanky man with a beard that could be a bird's nest came from the door behind the counter.

" _Da_?" he asked.

" _Devushki,_ do you have a vehicle?" the clerk asked the girls, receiving a nod in return. The woman ordered him to load a set amount of bread and rolls into crates and load their vehicle up. "Show him where it should all go."

The two went out, and stood by the truck.

"Did you see how the shelves were empty?" Giulietta asked.

"Centrally p-planned economy… T-They produce just enough… O-Of course except for the military and… _friends_ …" she said the last word with a sour face.

"Never heard of it," Giulietta said with a straight face.

"Because you're living i-in a d-democratic country with a f-free economy."

"I really do sometimes forget that…" she sighed. "If I lost my freedom, _then_ I would remember that I was free…"

The door opened, and the bearded man came out with a stack of crates filled to the brim with bread and rolls. He peeked through a hole in the stack and asked, "That your _machina_?"

"Yes…" Aya answered.

The man silently approached the truck from the back and loaded it up quickly.

"Be sure to return the _klety_ next time."

"Yes sir," Aya said, and when the man returned inside, she continued, "Let's go."

"Where to now?"

"Many places…" Aya sighed. "It s-seems that our commander w-wants to buy out half the town."

"Heheh… She said not to rush, let's use that to our advantage!"

"O-Okay!"

Thus, the two continued their supply run not bothering about hurrying. Aya was surprised by how much money was left after they finished, so she said, "We'll b-buy something and g-give back the rest."

"Sure is nice of you."

"My family is rich…" Aya mumbled.

They bought themselves some lemonade on the way back, and at the same place, only on the other side of the road, Giulietta said, "Stop."

Aya looked a bit distrustfully at her, but she pulled over.

"Aya… Did you ever ask yourself about your sexual orientation?"

"Ehhhhhh?"

"I'm serious now."

"Errrr…" Aya's cheeks started slowly reddening. "I k-kinda always knew I was s-straight…"

"How fortunate… First I was straight, then, after some girl-on-girl action with a beautiful Colonel, I went lesbian until now…. But… I think the _me_ now isn't the proper Giulietta… I think I might be turning straight again, and I'm confused and scared at the same time…"

Aya looked at the trembling Romagnan, but she quickly placed her hand on her left thigh and said, "Just ask yourself what your heart tells you to do. Take some time to think, if not today, then sometime else. Ask the commander for some time off, so you can reaffirm your sexual identity."

"Wow, not a single stutter again… Ugh, Aya… Damn you, now the next thing I wanted to do feels awkward…"

"W-What is it?"

"Sieglinde told me to do it so… Aya, I promise I won't violate you in your sleep, or do it forcefully when you're conscious."

Aya stared at her with a deadpan face and answered, "Errrr… Ehhhh… Well… Um… Thanks I suppose?"

"Wee! Accepted!"

"W-Where did that come from?

"I wanted to hug you while you were sleeping yesterday, but Miss Panzerfaust just went "Oh hell no!""

"I see… Well… Sigi is overprotective, but she's a good girl. You sh-should befriend her."

"I'll try."

"She's bi."

"I'll try harder!" Giulietta shouted with enthusiasm.

"Hahaha!"

"Heh… Ugh… Now I want to do something else…"

"Hmmm?"

"Please let me fondle your boobs!"

"Waaaaaah!" Aya jumped away, slamming with her back against the door.

"Crap… That was too sudden… Sorry, I said nothing, let's go…"

"Okay…" she mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"I s-said it's okay… I owe you one for that scare…"

"Really?!" her eyes sparkled.

"Yeah… Just once!"

"Oh boy oh boy oh boy!" Giulietta rubbed her hands together. "Hey, you don't have to take your clothes off; I'll do it with them on!"

"W-What kind of sick s-skills do you have?!"

"Skills passed down from generation to generation! Turn around, Aya, it will be easier."

"O-Okay…"

Aya turned her back to Giulietta, and she immediately felt as two warm hands crawled up her sides. She shuddered, but she didn't peep a sound. Aya felt as the Romagnan's hands started slowly and delicately feeling up her breasts.

"Ooooh… What delicate boobs… But…" she started weighing them in her hands. "Also firm! Wow, Aya, you're a genetic wonder!"

"Heheh… My training also had this effect…"

"Hmmm… Yess… You know what? I'm satisfied," she said and pulled out her hands from under Aya's clothes."

"Already?"

"Yup! A true Lucchini can gauge the quality of a good boob in an instant! More is just unnecessary perversity… Maybe if you were veering off a bit to _that_ side… Well, maybe I would fondle them a bit more…"

"I… No, no, I'm straight…" Aya almost whispered. "I want Kola…"

"You WANT him?" Giulietta asked with a smug smile. "Ain't that honest…"

"B-B-But something is telling me to wait… I… I don't know what to do…"

"Do the same as you advised me – wait, think, and then act."

"Heh… Maybe that's the key…" Aya sighed and resumed driving.

 **Airspace over the Orussian SFSR**

 **21,000 meters ASL**

"Thirty seconds, Frau Generalleutnant!" the pilot's voice sounded from the intercom. "Please prepare yourself!"

" _Verstanden_ ," the only passenger of the plane said.

She took the leash tied to the container near the ramp, and stood up. A red lamp lit up, and the ramp started opening with a hiss, and the air inside escaped violently.

"Ten seconds!"

The woman took a few deep breaths, and once the pilot said, " _Los_!" she jumped out into the clouds, with the container following her. She calmly fell down towards the earth, with hands beside her, speeding like a rocket, accelerating only using the laws of physics.

 _"_ _Why didn't I do HALO jumps when I could? This is fun!"_

Once a countdown that she had been performing in the back of her head finished, she looked at her altimeter, and just then, the needle went into the red zone.

 _"_ _I have to play it straight, or Toshiro will want to mangle me for messing around."_

She pulled the cord of her parachute, and a small ring inside of the containers leach at the same time. Two parachutes popped out, and her descent was slowed down considerably. She looked down and saw a truck entering a small town near an airbase.

 _"_ _I spy with my little Aya… Heh…"_

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

Aya stopped the truck in its parking spot, and then, Giulietta said, "Say, Aya, do you see what I see?"

"Where?"

"There, to the north!"

Aya concentrated, and indeed, she saw a shape approaching.

"Paratroopers? Here? Now?! Giulietta, be careful, okay?" Aya said and drew her pistol.

"Right!" Giulietta did the same.

As the figure came closer, they saw that one of the paratroopers was a big container with a parachute attached.

 _"_ _Huh? The paratrooper looks like a woman…"_

The woman pulled the leash of the container, and the chute fell off, making the container fall into the snow. She herself detached her chute when she was a few meters from the ground, and she landed doing a perfect front flip.

"Go!" Aya commanded.

The two ran towards the woman with their pistols raised, and Aya shouted, "Helmet off, identify yourself!"

The woman slowly grabbed her helmet, and after pressing a few buttons, she pulled it off with a hiss. She revealed her pretty face, with a storm of blonde hair falling on her body.

"Hiyaya," she said calmly.

"Alissa!" Aya roared and jumped forward.

* * *

 **Who can that Alissa be, huh? Some should probably know already, heheh…**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	30. Chapter 30 – One in, one out

Chapter 30 – One in, one out

* * *

Giulietta could only watch as Aya simply disappeared, and when she appeared again, she clashed with her sword against the sword of the newly arrived woman. Both of the katanas were giving off sparks, one rainbow colored and one shadow-like wisps.

 _"_ _Whaaaat…?"_

"Good job, Aya Two," the woman said with a smile. "But now, let me talk to the normal Aya, okay?"

"Whatever now. But we will spar later anyway."

"Of course, Sweetie."

"Hrrrm…" she grunted, and both of the swords disappeared. "Alissa!" Aya cheered and hugged the blonde-haired woman.

"Heh, nice to see you too, Aya," she said and looked at Giulietta, who just stared at the two with her mouth agape. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, that's Giulietta!" Aya cheered, but she added, "She's a Lucchini…"

She snapped out of her previous state and looked at the hugging duo. Suddenly, her eyes had a weird glint, and she approached them.

"Um, and who might you be, ma'am?" she asked while inconspicuously moving her hand.

" _Ich heiße_ Alissa Maya, Aya's instructor, and mentor," she introduced herself and slapped Giulietta on the hand. "I know that trick."

"Booo…" Giulietta pouted.

"Okay, Aya, take me to your commander, so I can get acquainted."

"Kay. But why are you here?"

"You'll find out in due time."

"Hey, what about that thingie that landed in the snow?" Giulietta asked while pointing in the direction of the container

"I'll come back for it later. It's hermetically sealed anyway, so it'll be fine out here," Alissa explained. "Curious?"

"Well, if something falls from the sky, then it's something cool!"

"I fell from the sky. Am I cool?" she smiled at the Romagnan, but didn't wait for an answer. "Aya, by the way, where's the rest?"

"At this time… Training in the gym."

"Good, very good. And what are you doing here with your friend outside then?"

"Ah, we were on a supply run... Wah, we have to move the stuff!"

"Oh, won't you introduce me to the commander first? I bet it would make things work out better."

"Uh, yeah… When you're right, you're right. Always…" Aya mumbled.

"Come on already," Alissa ruffled up Aya's hair under her hat.

"You two sure are close," Giulietta noticed.

"I've been training Aya since she landed in the Bundeswehr. We have some common history."

"Makes sense. Where should I go now?"

"Oh, wait in the lobby!" Aya said.

"Also makes sense. I'll do just that."

The three went into the building, and once they split up, Alissa said, "Mmm, it's pleasantly warm here."

"Right? One could think I would be sucking on ice cubes instead of drinking tea, heehee…"

"Nothing wrong with that," Alissa smiled.

After walking down the corridor, Aya stopped before a door well known to her and knocked.

"Come in," Ellie answered, and Aya peeked inside. "Oh, hi Aya. What's up? Everything bought?"

"Yes and… I have a guest."

"A guest?" Ellie asked surprised. "Do I know this guest?"

"Noooo… But it's a friend!"

"Oh is it? Well, anyway, let the honorable guest in."

Aya opened the door completely and let Alissa in.

"Hmmm? A special paratrooper? Why did nobody tell me about this?" Ellie asked with a dose of hostility.

"Because I'm doing a special inspection of my trainees."

"I see. And that would be who exactly?"

"The four Karlslanders you have under your wings."

"I see. Now we know something. Please, undress yourself from that, it must be hot for you."

"Ah, thank you."

Alissa undressed herself from the suit, revealing a Bundeswehr uniform just like Aya's and the rests. Ellie briefly saw her epaulets, and she shot up from her chair.

"Welcome, Lietutenant General! I apologize for my behavior!"

"Oh please, you don't need to be so formal. My name is Alissa Maya, and I would like to stay here for a few days."

"Um, yes ma'am."

"Alissa."

"So, Alissa… I can clear up my room and…"

"No, no… If there's a free bunk where the girls sleep, I'll gladly take it. I'm here _half-officially_ anyway, so you don't need to get the red carpet from the storage just for me."

"Heh… Okay then, I'll treat you like my right hand."

"That's what I was aiming for. Just imagine like I'm your advisor."

"Easy. Done," Ellie smiled. "But where's your baggage?"

"Ah, it's in my duffle bag I dropped with some… presents…" Alissa smiled wryly.

"I'll get Kola to retrieve it."

"Who's Kola?"

"Our handyman, the one man in the whole base."

"No, he'll just sprain his spine trying to lift it. I'll fetch it myself."

"Okay. So, Aya, how was your mission?"

"E-Everything done," Aya rummaged in her pockets. "And this is what's left of the money."

"Oh, but I told you to keep it."

"I'm p-paid by the Bundeswehr handsomely a-anyway…"

"Well now, what a good girl you are," Ellie smiled and took the change. "So, when will we see each other again, Alissa?"

"Half an hour, maybe a little later."

"Good. Have fun in our little establishment."

"Oh I'm sure I will," Alissa smiled and turned towards the door. "Coming, Aya?"

"Sure!" Aya cheered and ran out.

 _"_ _What in all rings of hell was that? A Lieutenant General just casually dropping on us from out of the sky? Pah! Unbelievable…"_

Ellie took the suit and helmet, and she opened the closet in the corner. The suits of the Karlslanders and Marie were lying there in an orderly manner.

 _"_ _To think the five dropped here only a week ago… Wait, it's almost a week dead now! They dropped just before midnight! Oh the irony…"_

She folded the suit nicely, and placed it on the stack. The helmet went to the helmet side, and she closed the door of the closet.

 **Corridor**

"Are you really staying, Alissa?" Aya asked.

"Of course, Aya. I can't just leave immediately after just getting here, am I? The _marken_ of the tax payers would scream revenge if I did."

"Well, I guess one flight of the _Himmelssucher_ is fairly expensive…"

"Two hundred and fifty five thousand Karlsmarken, to be precise."

"Whaaaaaa?"

"But don't worry, this is a justified visit, and the costs are inflated anyway. In reality, flying that plane in both direction costs about fifty thousand. That's the cost of the fuel, the daily wage of the pilot and all the people involved in preparing the flight."

"The military always had a knack for siphoning money…" Aya sighed. "So, whatcha got in that container?!"

"Patience… First you have to unload the stuff you procured."

"Ahhhh… Yeaaaah…" Aya moaned, but she suddenly livened up and grinned.

"Oh you! Good thinking!"

"Heehee…" she giggled and saw Giulietta. "Oh, hey… You can go."

"Really? You won't need me?"

"I'll manage."

"Well… Thanks!" Giulietta cheered and ran to the bedroom.

"That's the bedroom entrance by the way," Aya explained.

"Good to know. Now, chop chop! Unloading time!"

"Yes ma'am!" Aya disappeared for a few seconds, and a blur was to be seen in the corridors. "Done!" she reported, almost out of breath.

"Good girl," she patted Aya on the head. "Let's go to my container."

They ran to the black container with a duffle bag tied to it. Alissa untied the bag, and said, "Come on, Aya, one more exercise."

"Awwww…"

"No moaning. To the hangar!"

"On foot?!"

"On foot! Double time!"

"Yeeees maaaam…" Aya moaned, and after lifting the container, she jogged to the hangar, with Alissa at her side.

Once inside, Aya dropped the container near her Launch Unit.

"So…"

"Open it."

Aya patted on the container, and she final found the release button. The container hissed and unfolded itself.

"Woaaaaaaaah… A new Striker!?" Aya shouted surprised as she saw a slick, streamlined machine painted orange-red.

"And an MG3 H1 for me, just in case. I'll be taking your _Lilie_ now for if an emergency arises, and you can have this one."

"What's its name? How fast is it?"

"It's the EIF-03, codename Nova."

"Nooovaaaa…" Aya's eyes sparkled.

"And about its speed… Heh… Well… Just hop in and try it."

"Oh, can I already?!"

"Yeah, go for it!" Alissa said and pulled up the Striker into a vertical position.

Aya immediately jumped into the Striker, and she tiptoed a bit to the side.

"Oh, wait, no control unit?"

"Nope. This Striker has been constructed in a way that in-flight diagnostic equipment ain't needed," Alissa explained, but she pulled out a small watch from her pocket. "But here, a simple altimeter combined with a speedometer."

"Oooooooooh… Thanks!"

"Come on, chop chop!" Alissa slammed Aya on the back gently.

"Eheheh… Here goes."

She gave the impulse to start, and then a blue light started shining out of the exhaust. The only sound it gave off was a near inaudible hum.

"Eh? Is it on?" Aya tilted her head.

"It's on, Aya. The thing that's innovative in this design is the engine."

"The engine…" Aya nodded carefully.

"First, take a spin in it, and then I'll explain."

"Sounds fair. I'm off!" Aya cheered and pushed forward. "Wah, too fast!" she shouted and stopped midway to the exit. "How damn fast is this?!"

"Fast is a word that's not… _appropriate_ to describe it," she winked.

"Okay, take two!"

Aya pushed forward more carefully this time, but once she exited the hangar, she pumped it to the max.

"Waaaaaahoooooooooooo!" she yelled from the top of her lungs. She heard a sonic boom and looked at her _watch_. "Over two thousand already?!"

She zipped forward, pumping magic into the engines. The quiet hum turned into an audible buzz, and she looked at the speedometer, "Five thousand?! Oh, what does this button do?"

Aya pressed the button, and a single red diode started pulsing.

"Eh?" she tilted her head, but then she looked back at her engines. "Eh? Why does my Striker look like some kind of pulse drive from Macross that's charging for… Oh shit!"

She managed to place her arms flat beside her sides, and then, she received a boost that left her crying. Aya slowed down time and looked at the speed.

"S-S-S-Seven thousand five hundred… Wh-Wh…"

When the boost stopped, she decided to return to the base all wobbly.

"I have a feeling you went all out," Alissa grinned.

"You should have told me how fast it is, damn you! I'd probably shat myself if I was less brave!"

"You had to press the button, huh? Ehhh… Okay now, out of it. I'll tell you the story behind the Nova on the way back."

"Kay…" Aya mumbled and jumped out of her Striker. "Oh, the _Lilie_ is out already," she said and placed her new Striker in the Launch Unit.

After exiting the hangar, Alissa started explaining, "You see, Aya, the speed of this Striker shouldn't be a surprise for you once you learn who made it."

"Do I know them?"

"Him, Aya. Your grandfather made it."

"Whaaaaaa?! Grandpa Toshiro made it?!"

"When I'll tell you WHEN he made it, you'll pop."

"When?"

"In the sixties."

Aya's jaw dropped as she was speechless.

"Appropriate reaction I guess," Alissa giggled. "Toshiro made the _Experimentales Ionantrieb Flugzeug_ -01 in the sixties, but it was flawed, at least according to him. However, once the Neuroi came in, he rushed like a raging bull through the design process, and he made the EIF-02, a Striker suited for him, and then the EIF-03, a Striker for all-witch use."

"B-But why didn't he go public with his findings?"

"Eh, Aya… In terms of Striker development, Toshiro is twenty years ahead of the rest of the world. He didn't go public with the first prototype, since there was no need. You know peace and the entire hubbub. But when the Neuroi decided to revisit us, he decided to act, however still in the shadows."

"I seeeee… Wait, ions?"

"Yup. Your grandfather stumbled upon a way to use ether ions to propel a Striker directly. That's why you flew so fast."

"And it had some afterburner, right?"

"Mhm. A charged pulse, storing ions in a capacitor array. When the light on your fancy watch goes green, its boom time!"

"Heh… Very nice technology. Oh, but Alissa, when did you get promoted?"

"The day after you left. Nice surprise, right?"

"Very nice! Congratulations!" Aya cheered vividly.

"Thank you, Aya," Alissa smiled.

"But you didn't change a bit since you were a Major, heehee…"

"I found it my calling to teach witches, and it doesn't matter whether I'm a Sergeant or General, as long as I can train more and more defenders of our Vaterland."

"Wise as always, Alissa. So, I guess we should see the girls now?"

"Would be nice. Lead the way, double time!"

"Noooooot agaaaaaaaain…"

 **Corridor**

Just when they entered the building, Alissa asked, "So that's the bedroom?"

"Yup, like I said," Aya smiled.

"Okay then…" she said and placed her bag on the left side of the door. "Let's continue."

The two were going down the corridor, but then, the door to the toilet opened and Kola came out. He looked at Alissa from top to bottom, and with total indifference, he saluted lazily.

"Who's that?" Alissa asked.

"Oh, t-that's Kola…"

"Ah, the mechanic and whatnot. Pleased to meet you, I'm Alissa," she put her hand forward.

Kola shrugged, shook her hand, and asked, "What did we do to deserve such a visitor?"

"Having my girls here, of course!"

"Well, whatever ma'am. I'm going my way."

"Nothing holding you."

"Except you."

"Ah, yes," she loosened her grip and smiled. "Oh, and please don't worry about formalities with me."

"If you want… Anyway, I'm off," he said and walked the way they came from.

"He sure struck gold when it comes to height, I have to admit that. It felt like I met a cranked up Toshiro."

"Heh, well, Kola is a big guy… And he has nice muscles under all those clothes…"

"Oh? And how do you know that?"

"H-He's training with us in the gym sometimes!" Aya shouted back with a red face.

"Reaaaaallly?"

"Really!"

"Well, have it your way. Lead on."

When they came close to the gym door, Aya said, "The door to the right is the bath."

"Good to know. And would this be the gym?" she pointed at the big double door.

"Yes. Let's get inside."

Aya opened the door, and Alissa followed her inside. She saw that everyone beside the night team, Giulietta, and traditionally Ellie were training.

"Wooooo! Alissa!" Elsa cheered as she noticed her first.

She stormed her way through the gym and hugged the blonde Karlslander tightly.

"My, my, my cute Elsa is being cuddly as always."

"Heehee… What are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting my lovely subordinates, what Elsa'?" Alissa said while ruffling up Elsa's hair, making her giggle like a five year old.

"Everyone! Attention!" Katie yelled and stood straight as a pole.

A bit hesitantly, the rest sprang into attention, with the exception of the Karlslanders.

"Hey, that was an order!"

"We know Alissa too well to bother with saluting her. Am I right?" Angela asked with a grin.

"It wouldn't hurt once in a while. Come on, gimme a handshake at least."

"Coming right up," Angela approached her and they shook their hands firmly.

Katie looked at the unfolding scene with a deadpan face, and then, Sieglinde approached the newly arrived guest, and she slammed a greeting like two truckers.

"Ah, you still have the steam in your hand!" Alissa laughed. "And your body is getting chiseled more and more."

"Thanks, Alissa."

"Errrr…" Katie raised her hand.

"Ah, please, everyone at ease!" Alissa commanded, and everyone loosened up considerably.

"So… Who are you?" Katie asked.

"Lieutenant General Alissa Maya, commander of the Wunstorf Air Base and the mentor of these four. Pleased to meet you."

"Um, Major Katherine Kowalski, second in command here, ma'am…"

"Good to know. Now, everyone, please drop the official tone, I'm here unofficially. As I said, I'm Alissa," she said calmly and warmly. "I'll be staying here for a few days, so please have me in your care."

After that, she bowed slightly, causing utter consternation.

"Alissa is half-Fusojin," Angela explained.

To that, Nami quickly ran up to her and cheered, " _Ohayo!_ _Watashi wa Nami desu_!"

" _Nami kon'nichiwa!_ _Shinseki, hontōdesuka_ (Hello Nami! A kinsman, oh)?"

" _Hai! Soshite Shinobu mo_ (And Shinobu too!)!" she cheered while pointing at the Fusojin.

Shinobu sighed, walked to them, and extended her hand, "First Lieutenant Shinobu Sakamoto."

"A Sakamoto? I bet you take after your grandmother," Alissa shook her hand.

"Indeed," Shinobu smirked. "A sword is enough for me," she raised her hand and summoned Nagareboshi.

"A summonable sword, eh? That makes three of us."

"You have one too?"

"Yes. And maybe you will see it… sometime soon, because Aya is gung ho about a duel with me."

"A summonable sword is never something to shrug at, this should be good," Shinobu smiled with a satisfied look. "And if you agreed, that must mean you can counter Aya…"

"I _am_ her instructor after all," Alissa grinned viciously. "Come on rest of you, don't be shy," she said, this time with a sweet voice.

"Yo, Elwyn's my name," the Liberian said. "Electronics and speed are my game!"

"Ha, those are some fat rhymes!" Alissa laughed. "If you're not from the States, I'm a monkey's uncle."

"Your humanity is saved," Elwyn chuckled.

"Then from where am I?" Elizabeth asked in a possibly neutral accent.

"You're from Warwickshire," Alissa shrugged.

"You wot mate?" she asked surprised with a cockney accent.

"Save the head bashing for later," she winked. "So, what's your name?"

"Ah, I'm Elizabeth, Katie's cousin," she in turn said in a way the Queen Mum wouldn't fuss about.

"Oh, and I'm Aya's cousin!" Nami barged in shamelessly.

"Really now? Then we have quite the family connections here," Alissa said and looked at Marie. "And you, are you somebodies cousin?"

"Heehee, no, I'm not. My name is Marie. It's an honor to meet you."

"I'm just a soldier doing her job. Well, now that I have met everybody…"

"Not everybody," Aya interrupted. "There's two more sleeping."

"Well, now that I met _almost_ everybody… Ah, if they're indeed sleeping, then I'll just watch you all training," she said calmly. "But if somebody would fetch me a sandwich and make me a tea, I'd be grateful from the bottom of my mixed race heart, heh…"

"Oh, I'll go then!" Aya raised her hand.

"I allow it," Katie said. "Just don't you ransack my kingdom!"

"Yes ma'am!" Aya cheered and ran out of the gym.

"Aya sure likes you," Katie noted. "She's only open like that towards her compatriots and our Fusojins."

"I was her caretaker for her first month in the Bundeswehr, and I was already her trainer. And might I add that I know her grandparents personally?"

"Not her parents?"

"I know her parents too, but in this family, it seems that Toshiro and Yoshika are more worried about her."

"Grandparents are always like that…" Katie sighed melancholically. "Your mother, when seeing you going outside without your warm hat in winter will yell at you and tell you to put it on, which you can or can't listen to. But your grandmother will rake you in, put on a hat, a scarf, gloves, ear muffs, kiss you goodbye, and give some change so you can buy some chips."

"Unified Theory of Grandparents by Katherine Kowalski?" Alissa smiled.

"Bahahaha! Okay, I'll write a thesis on that and send it to _Liberian Scientist_!"

"I can already see the faces of the people reading it, heh… So… You should be training too, I guess?"

"Wouldn't hurt if I have to be honest."

"I'll tell you something – if you have some problems with the girls or yourself, just tell me. I'm all about that."

"If you're proposing… I'll see where I can use you, heheh… Now, time for me!"

"Have fun," Alissa waved her off and leaned against the wall.

 **Dining hall**

Just when Aya was running out of the kitchen, Kola came into the dining hall.

"Oh, is that for me?" he asked.

"N-No… It's for Alissa…"

"Well, we need to welcome our guest properly."

"Y-You were a bit cold to her…"

"I come out of the crapper, and I suddenly see a 3-star walking casually by your side. What was I supposed to do? Play a fanfare for her?"

"D-Don't be like that… Alissa w-was good to me all t-the time…"

"She was? Well, I guess I can cut her some slack. I wonder if she'll approve of our relationship though."

"My g-grandparents approve…" Aya said with red cheeks.

"You boasted to them already? When's the wedding going to be, hmm?" he asked with a cheeky smile.

"Oh shush… Nami r-ratted me out…"

"Now that the cat is out of the bag, I shouldn't give a fuck to be honest. I love you, you love me."

"Y-You do?!"

"Well duh. Of course I do! Don't you love me?"

"I-I-I-I-I… Y-Yes!"

"See? We're going in the same direction. And speaking of it, go towards the gym, heh…"

"Ah, r-right! T-Thanks!"

"How about a kiss for your beloved?"

"Mmmmmm…" Aya started squirming around. "W-Well… I w-was supposed to… Yesterday…"

Aya scuttled towards Kola and gave him a two-second kiss on the lips.

"I guess that's supposed to hold me till what, supper?"

"Heehee… We'll see."

Aya pranced on to the gym, where she gave the mug of hot tea and the sandwich to Alissa.

"You're sure are all rainbows right now, huh? What happened?"

"I… I…"

"Come on, tell me."

"No…"

"Oh teeeelll meeeee…"

"I just… I just kissed Kola…"

"Oh did you? So, what's going on between the two of you?"

"B-B-Boyfriend…"

"A boyfriend! Now, you're sure an Edelweiss, that's confirmed, haha! Aaaah… So, who knows?"

"Everyone around and my grandparents…" Aya mumbled.

"Would you look at that? So you could say that this relationship is sanctioned by everyone important?"

"Heh… Guess so…"

"Then I think I can't really butt in between you and that guy. Just holler if you need help at either _those_ things or pummeling him into oblivion."

Aya laughed dryly and said, "For the second one, I guess Sigi has dibs on that."

"I bet she gave him hell initially, yeah?"

"Yes… She was ostentatious and outright rude towards him, but she cracked when I yelled at her…"

"You? Yell at somebody? Wasn't it Aya Two talking?" Alissa asked curiously.

"No, that was me…"

"Loving somebody really can trigger borderline emotions…" she sighed. "But it's good you have someone you love near you. You think the girls are jealous?"

"I haven't noticed any signs of animosity from the girls when I interact with Kola… Well, heh, Sigi is still a bit embittered now and then…"

"She'll get over it soon, I know her too good."

"We all know her too good. You think of taking over the drill?"

"I can. Actually, I will! Ladies!" she shouted. "Focus on me!"

The witches stopped whatever they were doing halfway, and they looked at Alissa.

"Now, I will show you some of my pedagogical and instructional prowess. Don't worry though, I won't go too hard on all of you for the first time. At least those who I don't know. Aya, care to join?"

"Sure! I'll just get dressed!"

"Ten seconds!"

"Yikes!" Aya exclaimed and disappeared in a blur.

Alissa was counting demonstratively with her fingers, and when she was straightening the fourth one in a row, Aya appeared again, dressed in her training attire.

"Splendid job, Aya. Now, do a warm up on your own. The rest, listen up…"

While Alissa was bossing around the girls, Ellie decided to leave her _den_ and walk over to the gym. When she entered, she saw Alissa in walking amongst the girls and giving directions. Ellie just leaned over the wall near the door and waited. And her wait wasn't the longest one, as Alissa noticed her almost immediately, and she walked to her, propping herself against the wall beside her.

"So, I guess you're running the unit now? That's a dictionary example of hostile takeover…" Ellie said with a small smile.

"I just wanted to show off my skills, that's all."

"Oh don't worry, I know who you are. What's your current nickname? The Blonde Sage?"

"Heh, yeah, that's the current one. What about it?"

"Nothing. It's just interesting to have the woman, who almost singlehandedly educated the witches that defended Karlsland so swiftly, over for tea and cookies, heheh..."

"Oh pshaw…" Alissa giggled.

"Say… Could you help me with something?"

"If it's not more than a few minutes, I'll gladly aid you with whatever concerns you," Alissa replied politely.

"Hoho, what a princess we have here, haha! Okay, follow me to my office."

After arriving in the office, Ellie just silently pulled out a file and showed it to Alissa.

"I see. You want to know why Aya's file looks like it's a report from a black op?"

"Indeed."

"Heh, well… Toshiro and I both decided that Aya's file should be as obscure as possible for her own good. How much do you know about her… ailments?"

"I know that she has MPD, I know about her cousin, I know about her familiar going fight-or-flight, and I know about the accident in fourth grade."

"Well, that's pretty much everything we decided to expunge. Also the fact that I'm training her was redacted. All of the Karlslanders have that redacted by the way."

"Why so?"

"Not to draw unnecessary attention towards me, simple. I don't want to be in the limelight, I prefer to work from the second row."

"That's a bit flamboyant on its own…"

"Maybe, maybe not," Alissa said. "Maybe I would have a different opinion if I were three years younger, but I'm twenty two and officially grounded."

"That's such a shame. A witch like you would be invaluable in the war."

"Hmm. I did my part."

"Oh?"

"That first night that the Neuroi showed up."

"What? I thought Katie and I were the only survivors that night."

"Not quite, but that's a story for another time. So, anything else you want to talk about right now?"

"Right now? No, I guess not."

"Then I'll be making my way back."

"Have fun, I won't…"

"I wouldn't want your current job either."

"Up yours too…" Ellie grumbled.

"Heh…" Alissa snickered and went out of the room

 **Bedroom**

Tatiana opened her eyes, and she pulled up her Magic Antenna involuntarily.

 _"_ _We have a guest… But who is it? Better be safe and find out…"_

"Mmmmmmwwwwuuuu… Tanya, why are you using your magic?" Aina moaned from her bunk.

"Me? Ah, I sensed that there's someone new on the base. The number of transponders increased suddenly."

"You can detect such stuff?"

"If it emits electromagnetic waves, I can."

"That's nifty…" the Suomi yawned. "So, will you scout our guest out?"

"I should give it a shot."

"I'm coming with you, just in case you need backup," Aina smiled.

"Heh, thanks. But first, let's get dressed, because if it's somebody important…"

"Yeeeeeaaaah… I wouldn't want to meet somebody important in just my bra and panties…"

After a minute, they were ready. Tatiana led Aina to the gym, and she carefully opened the door. Both she and her companion peeked inside slowly and looked around, but then, a certain blonde haired witch went out of the blind spot near the door and looked the two straight in the eyes.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked.

Tatiana pushed back Aina and closed the door immediately. The door opened itself, and the woman walked into the corridor after them.

"Pretending I'm not there won't make me disappear," she smiled. "I'm Alissa Maya, Aya's and her compatriot's instructor."

"Tatiana," the Orussian introduced herself with a stern face.

"Aina," her friend followed with a bit more enthusiasm.

"I take it you are the two night witches?"

"Yes ma'am," Tatiana answered.

"Drop the "ma'am," I'm just Alissa."

"That's a bit hard to swallow, considering your rank…"

"I won't bug you over it, but it will ease up our communication, since I'll be warming a place here for a few days."

"Oh? You will?" Aina asked.

"Yes. Say, now that you're both awake, why not show me the bedroom?"

"Sure! If it's sleeping, I'm the expert here, heehee…"

The three went towards the bedroom, and then Tatiana noticed something.

 _"_ _Was the bag always there? I'm going dull…"_

"Is that yours?" she asked.

"Yes," Alissa replied and grabbed it. "I hope you have a place to squat?"

"Well, more than one."

Tatiana opened the door and let Alissa in. She went after her, with Aina going in last.

"My, two double bunks for my disposal? Am I right in my assumptions?"

"Yup," Aina said.

"So, who sleeps where?"

"Well, from the going clockwise, and from bottom to up, it's me, Tanya, Elwyn, Giulietta, Aya, Elsa, Angela, Sieglinde, Shinobu, Nami, Marie, and Elizabeth."

"Nice pairings I must say. Especially Elwyn and Giulietta, heehee…"

"What are you…" Aina stopped halfway, but a figurative light bulb lit over her head and she said, "Oooooh, now I get it… Well, heh… Their _volume_ is truly impressive…"

"Right? Okay then, I'll take the bunk opposite your two's. I'll make myself comfortable, and I guess you want to eat something?"

"Indeed," Tatiana said. "Come on, Aina; let's ask Katie if we can get some food."

"Kay! Have a good time, Alissa!"

"I'll try," she smiled warmly.

When the two exited, Alissa started unpacking herself. After pulling out all of the necessities, she took a small box and opened it.

 _"_ _This… This will be needed soon…"_

She then closed the box and stuffed it back in her bag.

 **Corridor**

"Weird lady… But she looks okay, what do you think, Tanya?"

"Hmmm… I don't know really… But if she's related somehow to Aya, I guess she's cool."

 _"_ _She could be a hindrance though…"_ Tatiana thought.

They entered the gym normally this time, and waved at Katie.

"What's up, sleepyheads?"

"We want to make ourselves some sandwiches," Tatiana said.

"Go ahead; get yourself acquainted with the kitchen, since it's your turn for kitchen duty with me today."

"Ah, right, we're the last pair," Tatiana said. "Many thanks, we'll be going."

"You've met Alissa already?"

"Yeah."

"Good," Katie smirked and turned around.

 **Dining hall**

Alissa made herself _invisible_ until dinner, but when she came in, all heads turned over towards her.

"There you are!" Ellie shouted. "We were looking for you!"

"I did some sightseeing on my own, sorry for not saying anything."

"Well whatever now. Come, sit next to me, we have a feast prepared."

"Just for me? You shouldn't have…"

"You're our guest, and a guest deserves a nice welcome. Kola, have a joke handy?"

"Whatever joke?"

"Whatever, be it blacks, Lehs, commies, capitalists, or… heh, blondes."

"Hummm… I have one, but I could hurt the feelings of those more to the left of the political scale…"

"Fire away, nobody will touch you."

"Well then. President Eisenhower flew to Moscow, and already on the runway, Krushchev is greeting him. They go on a walk on around Moscow, and after a few minutes, he was asked how is it. Eisenhower replies, "Actually it's a nice city, but so many drunkards as I saw here I haven't saw anywhere." "Oh yes?" Khrushchev asks. "I'm sure that I will find as many in Washington, or even more. "Then I invite you to Washington. Every drunk you'll find there you can shoot personally," Eisenhower says.

So Khrushchev greets off Eisenhower, returns to the Kremlin, takes his pistol and flies off to the USL the next day. He walks around Washington for good five hours and nothing, not even somebody slightly on buzz. After a whole day, he finds one lying on the train station. With satisfaction, he pulls out his pistol and shoots him. The next day, the first page article in the papers is titled, "Bald gangster shoots a drunk Soviet diplomat.""

The girls showed a whole spectrum of merriness, from brief giggles, to an all-out laughter, like in Aya's case. He looked at two persons with special care. Tatiana cracked a small smile, and Alissa covered her hand while shaking her whole body.

 _"_ _Mission accomplished."_

"Oooohohoho… Kola, tell one more joke now, and I'll kick you in the balls," Ellie said while trying to calm herself down.

"My mouth is shut. Actually, it's better to fill it with food. _Vkusno_!"

Just as everyone was finishing, Ellie tensed up and turned on the microphone on her transponder.

"Yes? Yes… How many?! How big?! Yes, of course! Immediately!"

"What's the matter?" Sieglinde asked.

"One HD-5, surrounded by at least a hundred of D-5's and a dozen of M-5's is going towards Volgograd…" Ellie said with a bleak expression.

"A HD-5…" the girls muttered.

"Time to go," Aya said with a voice colder than the air outside of the building.

"Everyone, go!" Ellie shouted. "This is serious business, pull no punches!"

"Yes ma'am!" the girls shouted.

"Alissa, will you be joining us?" Angela asked.

"Not now, Sweetie. This volume of enemies is somewhat difficult for a team your size, but it's manageable. However, if you run into any hurdles, I'll be sitting on comms and waiting for a distress signal."

"Okay, we're off."

"Take care."

The girls ran out of the dining room, leaving only Alissa and Ellie inside.

"I guess "officially grounded" means nothing to you?"

"It does have its underlying cause. I'm 22 already, and if I use my magic in full extent for about ten minutes, or flying like a maniac, I'll have to rest for at least two days, or a week in the worst case."

"I see. So you're saving yourself for the miserable cases?"

"Heh, indeed, you could call it that way. I'll just slowly walk towards the hangar now. Unless you need me for something."

"Nah, you're the guest. I'll go on monitoring the situation from the radar room."

"Understood."

 **Hangar**

"Hey, what's that Striker?!" Elwyn asked with sparkling eyes.

"Yeah, Aya, what is it?" Sieglinde asked. "Never saw it.

She only received a cold stare as an answer.

"Why do I even keep trying…?" Sieglinde sighed and went to her equipment. "Elwyn, don't bother, or you'll earn a black eye…"

"I somehow noted that already…" Elwyn joined into the sighing and she too went her way.

Aya put on the _watch_ she had in her uniform on her wrist, and after she swiped Nami's BK-27 from the rack, she jumped into the Striker.

"Wait for us," Angela said calmly. "I know you want to kill all the Neuroi in reach, but that's a bit too much for you to swallow alone."

"Even you don't know my true power. Only she does."

"Whatever you say."

After a minute, the girls were ready. The girls with cannons took them and as much shells as possible.

"Everyone ready?" Katie asked.

"Ready!" the girls answered.

"Then let's kick some ass!" she cheered and the engines started warming up.

However, Aya didn't want to wait, and she simply used the shortened start time of the ion engines and zipped out of the hangar like a bolt of lightning.

"Woooooooa!" Elwyn shouted with her mouth wide open.

"Aya, stop right now, or I will take disciplinary action," Katie said firmly through the comms.

"You think that will work?" Elwyn asked.

"Worth a try. Everyone, forward!"

When the girls flew out of the hangar, they saw Aya waiting for them. The sky was slowly starting to get yellow from the setting sun. Katie flew up to her and said, "Stay in line, Missy. I don't give a flat fuck about how powerful you are, but while you're my soldier, I own your ass."

"Is that all?" Aya asked.

"Yes, that's all."

"Then let's go."

"Let's."

They saw the enormous Neuroi from miles. The Class Five Heavy Dreadnought was bigger than any man made battleship in history. It sported massive beam cannons, as well as dozens of smaller ones. The drones were flying around it like a swarm of bees surrounding their queen. The M-5's made their move already, chasing towards the girls.

"What a mass…" Marie said out of breath. "Maybe… Maybe I should use my Final Art?"

"If you can, do it," Angela said. "Need help with getting in range?"

"Yes, please."

"Follow me then," Angela said and zipped forward with her shield raised.

At the same time, Giulietta said, "If you take me in closer, I might wreak some havoc…"

"IF it's worth it, I'll do it personally," Sieglinde said.

"Oh trust me."

"Follow me then!" Sieglinde shouted and her shield turned yellow.

"What's that?" Giulietta asked.

"I told everyone on our little show and tell back then that I have a shield amp, a HSV-04 model. I rarely use it in pure defense though."

"Fine by me!"

Angela and had to maneuver fiercely, as the dreadnought started firing at them, as well as some of the mediums.

"Whenever you're ready, Marie!"

"Doing it!" she shouted and her hair started fluttering. "Éclair!" she yelled and a lightning bolt shot from her right hand.

The single lightning bolt started bouncing between the mediums, but after the sixth one, it bounced towards the drones, destroying twenty.

"Not half bad, Marie. Are you tired?"

"Can't… you… see?" she said out of breath.

"Okay, we're falling back."

A second later, Giulietta said, "Shield me while I'm stationary!"

"Roger!"

Giulietta put her hand up in the air, and it seemed like light started getting stored into her body. She started glowing more and more intensively, and then, she put her hands forward and a beam of light shot towards the enemies. Giulietta led the beam with her hands, killing of the remaining mediums and at least forty drones. With her last move, she grazed the dreadnought, but the gape it it's structure started regenerating with enormous speed.

"You're not all boobs it seems… Good job, let's fall back, you look like you're in the grave with one leg."

"Well no shit…" Giulietta sighed.

"All cannons focus fire!" Katie ordered. "We have to dig through to the core! Shinobu, where is it?!"

"Dead center!" the Fusojin replied with her right eye glowing purple.

"Aw shit! I guess I need to give a foothold for you girls! Watch out, it will get hot! And get away, at least a hundred meters!"

Katie put her hand forward, aiming her hand at the enormous Neuroi. A small ball of light appeared over it's deck, which started to expand. Meter by meter, it started to _eat out_ the enemy.

 _"_ _Shit, I'm not going to hang out any more…"_

Then, the ball, which now was twenty meters in diameter, shrunk to the size of a baseball, and it detonated in a blinding explosion. When the smoke cleared, an unscathed enemy appeared.

"Fuck! I knew it wouldn't be enough! Start firing the cannons, swinging Reppuzans, whatever!"

"Roger!"

Elsa and Nami started loading their cannons, and Aya summoned Kagemaru into her right hand, while holding the enormous BK-27 revolver cannon in her left.

"Reppuzan!" she shouted and the attack flew with fury towards the enemy.

Hitting its starboard, it tried to dig itself into it, but after conquering a few meters of Neuroi material, it dissipated.

"Stop," Aya said looking at Shinobu chanting.

"Why?"

"It doesn't make sense."

"Then how are we supposed to kill it?"

She looked towards Elsa and Nami, and the two started firing one round after another. They fired double at three second intervals, but at each reload, the Neuroi regenerated almost all of the damage done.

"What gives?!" Elsa whined. "We defeated one like that in '81 already!"

"We had Alissa and support from ground artillery," Sieglinde said with a stern face.

"We need something… A trump card… We need something that can punch through… I know!" Katie was enlightened suddenly.

 **Hangar**

Alissa sat at the edge of Aya's Launch Unit, when she heard Katie's voice through her transponder.

"Alissa, can you hear me?!"

"Yes, loud and clear."

"You need to deliver the content of the crate that's welded to the underside of the T-80 tank, ASAP!"

"Why would you do that?"

"Because it contains the R-gun."

"I understand. Give me five minutes."

"We're counting on you!" Katie shouted with hope and went silent.

Alissa looked around and she spotted the tank. She ran forward and summoned her sword. A meter before the tank, she dove and slid under it. She saw the crate with Bundeswehr markings, welded to the underside of the tank using two rebars. Using only minimal force, she cut off the rods and kicked out the crate from under the tank. After propelling herself forward using her hands, she opened the crate. An enormous cannon with two rails instead of a barrel lied their in a foam filling, with a few mags beside it. She looked at the nameplate on the side.

 _"_ _EMaNaK 82 L/200… A railgun… Something Toshiro didn't have a chance to fire because of the difficulties it posed in making it a personal weapon, and because it was later shelved, just as the war ended… Something that caused so much pain to Aya… And now…"_

"Alleyoop!" Alissa said as she raised the cannon to her shoulder, and took two spare mags.

She ran over to the _Lillie_ , and in a gravity defying maneuver, she managed to jump into it. She then took her MG3 and rushed out of the hangar.

 **Battlefield**

The girls were trying to hold out until Alissa came. Drones didn't pose a bigger threat, and they were exterminated in the hail of bullets of various calibers. However, the dreadnought didn't want to go down no matter what, so they all decided to evade as much as possible.

"I see you," Alissa's voice sounded in their transponders.

When Aya saw her, the hand that was free after dispelling Kagemaru started twitching. The golden haired witch stopped before her. Aya started breathing heavily, seeing the weapon Alissa carried.

"One word and I'm scrapping this cannon," Alissa said.

"Oh no… I will manage…" she said with a heavy breath. "Take this from me."

They swapped weapons, and Alissa gave her a clip. With a shaky hand, Aya loaded it. After pressing the button, an electric servomotor pushed a thirty-millimeter in caliber and seventy centimeter in length tungsten-samarium rod into the non-magnetic titanium breech.

 _"_ _Please, stop this! The Mistress is already at her limit!"_

 _"_ _I don't fucking care! I must kill all the Neuroi! All of them!"_

The high-pitched whiz of the capacitor array sounded from the gun, and Aya took aim. A blue aura formed around her, extending to about thirty centimeters from her body.

"Uhhh… Alissa? What's that?" Angela asked.

"Something I forbade Aya to use, unless there's a genuine threat. That is her Magic Drive."

"What does it do?"

"I'll explain later. For now, look carefully."

Using the Ryugan, Aya spotted the core. She pulled the trigger, and the rod was launched with the speed of Mach 20, leaving a small blue trail behind it. It hit the Neuroi dead on, but after two seconds of recharging, Aya fired again.

 _"_ _Kill…"_

And again.

 _"_ _Kill."_

After the third shot went in, the Neuroi stopped, but Aya fired the fourth one nonetheless, which penetrated the dreadnought completely.

 _"_ _Kill!"_

The enemy started crumbling, and Aya fired the fifth rod. It started turning into flakes, but Aya fired yet again.

 _"_ _KILL!"_

She let go of the railgun, and it slowly descended, caught by Elsa.

Suddenly, Aya raised her face towards the sky and let of an ear piercing, continuous shriek. She dug her fingernails into her face and started pulling down, leaving a bloody mark. Then, she quietly hung down her head and limbs, like a puppet without its puppet master, blood dripping from her face and fingernails. Elizabeth fainted immediately into Katie's arms, but Marie also lost contact with the world, and Angela had to catch her.

Alissa was the first one to react properly, never losing her calmness. She raised Aya's head, and saw that her face was blank, and her eyes staring into nothingness.

"Alissa, what happened?!" Sieglinde panicked.

"Catatonia. It finally happened…"

"What happened?!" Angela yelled.

"A total personality collapse."

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	31. Chapter 31 – Einheit

Chapter 31 – Einheit

* * *

 **Chapter Title - Unity**

 **?**

 _"_ _It's cold… Why is it so cold…? I can't move… Why can't I move?"_

"Get up."

 _"_ _A voice as cold as I am now… But it's familiar… Somehow…"_

"I said get up, or I will make you get up."

 _"_ _The voice… Is mine? Is that my voice? But I don't talk that way…"_

"Have it your way."

 _"_ _She's angry at me… She grabs my arms and lifts me up… She has a strong grip, almost like a man… But her hands are still feminine… My hands…"_

"Open your eyes. If you don't do it, I'll cut off your eyelids."

 _"_ _That would be a shame… How would I look without eyelids? It would be bad…"_

Aya opened her eyes. Her head was hanging down, so the first things she saw was two identical pairs of legs, standing on some kind of black ice.

"Look into my eyes."

Aya slowly raised her head. She saw the body which she saw evolving in the mirror for as long as she used such a commodity. But beside that, in the background, she saw a sea of black ice, enveloped in a mist that a naked eye couldn't possibly pierce. Finally, she saw the lips of the person who was holding her, and commanding her. Those were her lips, but barely visible, pursed in an angry grimace. She looked up a bit, and she finally looked saw those eyes. The same heterochromic eyes she had since long, reflecting herself.

"We finally meet on even ground, Aya."

 **Bedroom**

Aya lied in her bunk, surrounded by most of her friends. The only one absent were Elizabeth, still unconscious after seeing all the blood, and Marie who fainted with her. But beside that, even Ellie was there. Aya's face was covered in styptic and wrapped with bandages. Her eyes were opened all the time, staring eerily into some place far away.

"So you say what happened exactly?" Ellie asked.

"Due to the enormous emotional stress related to the railgun, Aya's basic personality collapsed, and because her second personality is linked to her nevertheless, she also collapsed," Alissa explained.

"So what, she's a vegetable now?"

"By all means no. Right now, Aya is probably rebuilding her own self from scratch. It could take a minute, or it could take who knows how long. But one thing is sure – she won't emerge from this the same."

"How do you know all of this?" Angela asked.

"Even you, Sieglinde, and Elsa have been kept in the dark about some details of Aya's psychological state. Only me, doctor Kernberg, and Toshiro know how brittle her psyche is, and how it works in whole."

"Could you stop speaking Mandarin?" Elwyn asked. "I don't know about half of the shit you're talking about!"

"I'm sorry; I forgot that Aya probably didn't say everything about herself… So, listen up…"

 **?**

"Who are you?" Aya asked.

"Do you really have to ask this question?" the girl resembling her replied with a question of her own. "I thought not. To cut your questions short, we are in your mind."

"My mind?"

"Your mind. Don't bother unraveling this, it's a figment of your own imagination. Your willpower is of cosmic proportions, Aya. If linked to a power of creation, you could probably be on a level of power only obtainable by gods," she smirked. "I'll let you down on your feet now."

Aya was lowered on the black ice, and she made a grimace of pain.

"It stings, that's obvious. But you're only inflicting this on yourself."

"What do you want from me?"

"Now what do I? Let's see… Ah, I know! We have to resolve this small issue of you being in catatonia… Unless you regain your full mental health, we'll be in a deadlock until your body rots away."

"W-What?" Aya fell on her knees.

"You see, my sweet _better_ part, you're now lying in bed, looking like a damn scarecrow," she said after she kneeled. "If we don't make some kind of compromise here, your body will be an emotionless and senseless husk till the end of your days. So let's get to it."

"W-What do you want to do?"

"You know, your mentor has one thing right for sure. She was always spouting bullshit about yin and yang, Zen, how "the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows," and "in every light there is darkness" and so on, _ad mortem defecatam_. You just thought those were just wise words from the Blonde Sage. But I had time to think. Since I'm basically at the back of your head for most of the time, I came up with a solution."

"W-What is it?"

"There are two ways out, with the second one far more dangerous to the both of us. One solution implies that we both merge, and the other… well… let's focus on the first one for now."

"Merge?"

"Remember, Aya, before the accident with that girl whose spine you have shattered, we were one. After that, the willpower about I mentioned earlier simply sliced me off your original personality. Brutality, power, cunning, ferociousness, ruthlessness – all of that was isolated from you. But also, there was some other things connected to that – bravery, sociability, and confidence. If you recall the yin-yang symbol, you'll see that both of the _beads_ have spots of an opposite affinity."

"Uh… So you told me an allegory now?"

"Yes indeed. I'm the yin of the pair, you're the yang – righteous, just, friendly, empathic, but also anxious and unsure. If the both of us merge, we will restore your original personality, an Aya once lost, but with the experience of age."

"I don't want it."

"What?"

"I don't want it!" Aya buried her face in her knees. "I hurt people when I was like that! I don't want it to happen again!"

 **Bedroom**

"Holy… Wow, Aya is one cluster... mess…" Elwyn mumbled. "How is she even able to function?"

"Her willpower is outstanding," Alissa explained. "If it were a magic force, she could probably destroy HD-5's just by looking at them."

"Hey, something's happening!" Nami shouted, and the girls immediately looked over to Aya. "She's… crying?"

"Some nasty stuff must be going down in her mind…" Alissa murmured. "But it's good that she shows some signs of life. Let's just continue observing, we're powerless in this situation anyway…"

 **Aya's mind**

"Aw, how terrible…" Aya Two spoke warmly and placed her hand on Aya's shoulder. "But that also means that the other plan must be executed."

"Other plan?"

"You have to die," Aya Two said with a straight face and with a single movement, she slammed Aya's face through the ice.

After the pain of hitting her face against the ice got to her, it was immediately replaced by the sensation of hundreds tiny needles pricking her.

 _"_ _I can't breathe! Why… Why is she doing this…?"_

Her head was pulled out of the ice-cold water, and she started catching air violently.

"Why… Why are you…"

"Why am I doing this? Think! If I kill you, I can have exclusive rights to your body. I could then kill all the Neuroi I want! And after they are all dead, I would kill myself."

"W-W-Wha…"

"Of course, I'm not excluding option number one here. Become one with me, and we will be an unstoppable force."

"W-Why are you so hung on us merging?"

"Why am I so hung? After I was _born,_ I hated you. I hated you with all my metaphysical existence. However, the more time I spent, the more you started growing on me. Then, one day, I scraped your memories a bit, and I found this."

Aya Two presented a small transparent orb that appeared in her hand out of nowhere. Inside, there were moving pictures.

"What is this?"

"These are scenes from your life that I recreated from a third persons perspective using that willpower and imagination of yours," Aya Two said with a warm voice. "All from before the 4th grade accident, when you were a lively, cute little girl."

"B-But why?"

"When I saw this, you finally won over me. I started watching you more closely; watch your struggle for normality. When in training or battle, I jumped in for you, because I had the mindset for combat," she took a deep breath. "I love you, Aya."

Aya's jaw dropped and she looked at Aya Two with big eyes.

"Heh… Not in a way you think, Aya. As I told you, some things got locked away from you, that includes most of your maternal instincts and some of your sexuality. That's why you behave like you behave when sex is even mentioned. And that's why I love you, just like a mother."

"I… I didn't know…"

"You couldn't have known, because I managed to store away a bit of my own memories from you. I had to play the cold bitch for your own good…"

"So… If we merge… Will I… And Kola… Freely…"

"I bet it would be possible," she smiled. "But you would also be more sociable, your tongue would be sharper, and generally, you would be a more complete person. Kye probably knows this already anyway, that's why she decided to tear your consciousness down anyway in the first place by bringing you the railgun without protesting, instead of just ripping that HD-5 apart."

"Who's Kye?" Aya tilted her head in genuine surprise.

"Heh... When I scraped your memories, I also have accessed your genetic memories. Just ask Alissa about Kye Akari, it's better to know from the source," she smiled and a blue stream of energy flowing from her head formed in her hand into a ball l, which she threw into the hole.

After it sunk in the dark depths, Aya Two said, "Things you should ask both her and Grandpa about later, I don't want to spoil the fun," she smiled.

"Oh... But…" Aya's eyes teared up after a sudden realization. "You will disappear after merging with me…"

"No, I won't disappear. I will become one with you. I will always be with you, both mind and soul. So what do you say, Aya? Should we?"

She wiped her tears and said, "Yes."

"Let's hug, Aya. For the first and last time."

"Okay…" Aya said quietly, but just before she moved, she saw something in the slowly dissipating fog. "Aya Two, what's that?"

She pointed out at a crystal shaped block of ice levitating in the air before her. The whole thing was wrapped tightly in chains and emitted a golden glow.

"That? I really don't know. It was there all the time since I got that sword from the redhead, but it never shone with such a bright light… But… Heh, Alissa will most likely know what it is."

"She will?"

"Yes. So, Aya, about that hug…"

"Ah, yes!" Aya cheered and jumped forward.

Just as they hugged, the black ice under them turned into a flowerbed spreading in all directions. The fog was blown away, revealing a blue sky. Aya's closed her eyes, and the last thing she saw was the sound of cracking metal.

 **Bedroom**

"She stopped crying, but she started crying again…" Nami tilted her head. "Oh! She smiled! Aya is smiling!"

Just as everyone started looking at her face, she closed her eyes and opened them again, revealing that they were now both colored opalescent blue.

"Thank you, Aya Two…" she whispered quietly.

"Ayaayaaa!" Nami cheered and hugged her.

"Ooompf, Nami… Gimme a break…"

"Right, right!" Nami sat back in place.

"My face feels funny… And something smells funny…" Aya said and touched it. "Oh right, you probably treated my wounds… Heh, sorry for the problem, I'll deal with it on my own. Can anyone remove the bandages and remove the excess styptic?"

"You sound different, Ayaya…" Nami looked closer at her friend.

"Heh, one thing at a time, Nami," Aya smiled.

"Okay!" Nami cheered and she started unraveling her bandages. She used the dry parts to wipe off the styptic. "Mmm… Looks really bad…"

"Mirror please, I want to see what I actually did to myself."

"Here," Sieglinde said and threw her a small mirror, which Aya caught swiftly.

"Thanks," Aya said and looked at herself in the mirror.

She could see ten vertical red stripes going across her face from under her eyelids, down to her neck.

"Ouch… Well, is Elizabeth okay?"

"She passed out," Angela said. "What's her problem by the way?"

"She has hemophobia."

"That explains a lot."

"Wuzzat?" Nami asked.

"Fear of blood," Aya explained.

"Oh… That's troublesome…"

"Well anyway…." Aya said.

 _"_ _Kuro, I feel like I can pull this off… Pour all my magic in my regenerative capabilities."_

 _"_ _Yes, Mistress!"_

Everyone looked at Aya now, and her wounds started sparkling with a green light. From their edges, the light started coming to the center of the wounds, and after a few seconds, the light show stopped, revealing Aya's unscathed face.

"Aya, one question – your eye's now have a nice shade of blue, but earlier you had two colors…" Elwyn pondered.

"Ah, yeaaaah… I didn't explain it thoroughly…"

"I told them about all your underlying conditions, Aya," Alissa said. "Fire away."

"You did? Thanks… So, before the 4th grade accident, I had blue eyes, but after my personality split, the change happened. And now that my soul is whole, my blue eyes are back. With a vengeance it seems, heehee…"

"So you're healed now, Aya?" Ellie asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm now one hundred percent mentally sane, although I can't guarantee I don't have some hidden quirks and knacks, heehee…"

"You sure sound like you changed. You would probably stutter at least thrice during that sentence previously."

"Right?" Aya giggled and fished out Kola out of the spectators. "Kola, can you come closer?"

"Me? Sure," he said and approached her side.

Aya then suddenly raised herself, grabbed his collar, and kissed him right before everyone. They were watching what happened with a variety of emotions, with Sieglinde almost breaking her own bones while clenching her fist.

"I don't know what exactly happened, but I'll take it as a good sign…" Kola said a bit dazed after Aya stopped.

"Heehee… But right now, I think I should do my afternoon training," Aya looked at Alissa.

"If you feel like doing it, go for it. Get off the bed and see if you're in good shape."

Aya quickly slid off the bed and walked a few steps. "Seems perfect."

"Well then, training time, my ladies," Alissa said. "Kola, you can join too, but now you leave us."

"Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled and went to the door.

"So how do you feel as a whole now, Aya?" Ellie asked.

"I feel… light I guess. As if somebody lifted a weight from my shoulders… I know it sounds cliché, but that's how I feel right now. And I can stand before all of you without the feeling I should just dig a hole and crawl into it to hide or die."

"I see. Good job then, Aya," Ellie approached her and put her hand on Aya's shoulder. "Maybe now you'll listen to orders more enthusiastically?"

"Oh well… I wasn't quite myself back then…"

"Don't worry, I understand," Ellie smiled and went out of the room.

"Kay, I'll be going to!" Katie cheered and ran out after Ellie.

"Hey, Ayaaaa!" Elwyn ran up to Aya and grabbed her right hand. "Lemme fly that Striker! Pleeeeeaaaaase!"

"Well I don't knooooow… Alissa?"

"I suppose you can fly it, but you can't even look at the interior, okay?"

"Okay! When?!"

"Sorry, but you'll have to wait till tomorrow after breakfast."

"Bawwwww… But okay, I'll be waiting eagerly!"

"Heheh, okay, but now let me go, I have some waking up to do it seems."

"Oh, the two? Sure! Poor saps fainting at the sight of either blood or something scary… Eh…" she sighed.

Aya first sat on Marie's bunk, and simply placed her hands on the temple of her head. Marie opened her eyes slowly and asked, "Aya? You're okay…"

"Uhum. Sorry for scaring you…"

"No, it's okay… I'm just a fraidy cat, heh… But I feel a lot of more confidence in your voice… And your eyes… They're beautiful, Aya."

"Thank you, Marie. We're going to train in a few minutes, so if you feel okay, you could join us."

"I probably will have to go for shooting practice with the commander. And I think I saw Elizabeth fainting before I did…"

"I've got that covered, don't worry."

Aya scaled to the top bunk, and she whispered, "Hey, Elizabeth, wake up."

Then, Aya realized her fingertips are bloody, so she quickly hid her hands behind her back. Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes.

"Aya? Is that you?"

"Yes. Surprised?"

"Kinda… I thought you'd be more… bloody and stuff…"

"Nothing some quick self-healing won't solve, Elizabeth."

"Call me Liz if you want, Elizabeth is too damn long."

"Heh, okay, Liz."

"Nice eyes, Aya," Elizabeth said while moving her head around. "If you look at them from dead on, they're marine blue, but if you look at them from the angle, a bit of sparkly brown is peering out from under the blue."

"It seems like everyone likes my eyes," Aya giggled. "Will you be joining our training, or will you train with Katie?"

"With Katie please. I have to get that spark of mine under control and combat worthy."

"Sure thing, have fun."

"You too, Aya," Elizabeth smiled, and Aya jumped down.

"Now that everything's clear, I might as well go and find myself something to do," Alissa said.

"Oh, you can overlook our training if you like!" Elsa cheered. "What do you say, guys?"

"I have nothing against it," Tatiana said.

"Me neither," Shinobu added.

"If you want me so badly, then I will do it. No hard feelings, Sieglinde?" Alissa asked.

"Nah, not a bit. I'm tired of it already, heheh…"

"Good then. Actually, I'll be training with you, so I deserve a good hot bath afterwards."

Giulietta wasn't even trying to be humble, as her head almost snapped when it turned towards Alissa. The Romagnan felt as a hand landed on her shoulder, and Sieglinde whispered, "Don't even try, you won't win."

"Who dares wins," Giulietta said with absolute resolution written all over her face.

"Who are you conspiring against there?" Alissa turned around.

"Against the world government!" Giulietta answered without batting an eyelid.

"Heh, good luck with that. Now, chop chop and let's have you all in your training attire."

"Yes ma'am!" the girls cheered and commenced with their clothes changing.

 **Commander's office**

"So, we agreed that we will teach our personal trainees now, but what about Aya?" Katie asked.

"Monitor her carefully in the late evening; I think something might be at hand, now that she has a new personality."

"You think they'll…" Katie made a circle with one hand and moved the index finger of her other hand in and out of the circle.

"That's an option, my dear Katie. And from my personal experience, men are VERY talkative during or after sex."

"You sly devil… Okay, I'll be vigilant today."

"You have to, Katie…" Ellie sighed. "Our lives could depend on it…"

 **A few hours later**

 **Gym**

"Another good day of training!" Alissa said out loudly and looked around, seeing half of the girls lying flat on the floor. "Sieglinde, did you make any progress with them?"

"Yeah, but you had to employ such a murderous regime, had you?"

"Okay, I admit, I went a bit overboard…" Alissa pouted. "Come on, who can stand straight, should take somebody who can't, and let's go bathing. You won't mind if I procure all the bath supplies for all of you?" she asked, and after some moans and simple confirmations, she said, "I'll be back in a moment then."

"Come on, Aya; let's pick up these dead bodies, heh…" Angela patted her on the back.

A few minutes later, the girls were all under the showers. In the meantime, Katie, Ellie, Marie, and Elizabeth joined them.

Giulietta covertly looked at Alissa, who was showering just beside Aya.

 _"_ _Mmmmhmmm… Their boobs look almost identical, but their bodies… Aya is more buff and has longer legs, but that Alissa looks taller overall… Ooooh, what would I give to have a few minutes alone with her… Ooooooh!"_

After showering, they landed in the bath.

"Each base that has a hot bath is a good base…" Alissa almost purred in bliss.

"Well, nice to hear," Ellie giggled.

While Alissa was looking at the ceiling, Giulietta started slowly creeping forward, unbothered by anyone, since they found it entertaining. Just as she was about to pounce on Alissa, the latter said, "I see you from a mile, you ravenous boob demon."

"Wah!"

"Busted," Sieglinde grinned.

"Why don't you go grab Aya? She's basically my size."

"I already did…" Giulietta mumbled, but then she realized what faux pas she committed.

"What did you say?" Sieglinde whispered into hear ear, using the sound of knuckles cracking as background noise.

"Sieglinde stop," Aya said.

"W-What?" Sieglinde turned to Aya confused.

"I permitted her. She felt me up, but before that, she opened up to me. And she did promise me that she won't touch me without my consent, right, Giulietta?"

"Uhuh!" the Romagnan nodded so violently that her breasts started jumping up and down.

"Ugh… Okay then… I suppose I'll let you live another day…" Sieglinde muttered angrily, but she changed her attitude when she looked at Aya, "Not Sigi anymore?"

"If you want, I can gladly call you like that for as long as you like," Aya smiled.

"Wooohoo! Ugh, I mean… Good…" Sieglinde quickly submersed herself to hide the embarrassment.

"Giulietta, talk to her afterwards," Aya said, while Sieglinde still had her ears covered with water.

"Really?"

"Yes, try it."

"If you say s…WAAAAAGH!" Giulietta yelled as a pair of arms grabbed her prized possessions. "Who is it?!"

"It's me," Alissa grinned. "Gotcha!"

"Wah, unfair, unfair!" the Romagnan squirmed and shouted.

"My, my… Your boobs are truly something! But okay, I'll leave you be," Alissa said and let her go.

"I have been violated…" Giulietta slumped down on her ass and she mumbled with a said face. "And what are you looking at!?" she yelled at Sieglinde smirking at her from underwater.

"I really should bathe with you guys more often," Ellie said with a smile on her face. "Comedy gold."

Suddenly, Giulietta's head started slowly turning towards her, but she said, "Try it, and I'll make you clean the whole base with your own toothbrush."

Giulietta quickly dove underwater, making everyone laugh.

After the bath, Alissa asked Aya, "Say, that duel with me is still valid?"

"Um, I don't know really. I have to acquaint myself with what Aya Two left for me…"

"Then we will train in the morning tomorrow, kay? We'll start slow."

"Okay!"

"Now, tell me what happened in your mind."

"Ah, yes, so…"

And thus, Aya told her everything, except the part about one Kye Akari.

 **In the mean time**

 **Bathroom**

"Ugh, hey… Sieglinde?" Giulietta asked quietly.

"What do you want?"

"Aya told me something about you so… I thought we could build something on that…"

"Oh? What did she tell you?" Sieglinde asked genuinely interested, and a bit sour.

"That you're… swinging both ways…"

A bit stumped, Sieglinde answered, "I do, so?"

"Well… You promised me that if I do well in battle than… maybe…"

Sieglinde cracked a small smile and said, "We'll see later, Giulietta. Maybe not today, but later, kay?"

"Why not today?"

"Hmm… Because today, I wanted to experiment with Elwyn…" Sieglinde's cheeks reddened suddenly.

"You sly devil… Well okay, but please, don't leave me hanging…"

"Yeah, yeah… Now scoot or I'll break your arms."

"As cheerful as usual, sheesh…" Giulietta turned around towards the door, Sieglinde grabbed her hand, and reeled her in towards herself, turning her around at the same time.

Before the Romagnan could react, Sieglinde planted her a kiss on the forehead and said, "That enough for now, Giulietta?"

"Uhhh… Heheh, that was nice of you," Giulietta grinned. "Remember – that's a promise sealed by a kiss now!"

"Whatever now," Sieglinde snickered. "But not a single peep about this to anybody, even Aya, okay? It's not like I'm your best buddy or anything."

"Oh Sigi…"

Sieglinde looked at Giulietta as if she was just pricked with a pitchfork in her bum, making Giulietta run away in panic.

" _Herr Gott_ , that girl…" Sieglinde sighed. "But… She's nice… Maybe I should become her friend? Hah, that would be something! Me FINDING a friend ON MY OWN! Hahahaha!"

 **Bedroom**

 **2210 MSK**

Aya slid out of her bed quietly, and just as she was at the door, a voice said, "And where are you going?"

She almost jumped up, but she realized that it was Alissa, so she approached her bed.

"I was going to… Um…"

"Toilet?"

"No…"

"Then maybe you're going to _someone?"_ she asked slyly.

"Eheheh… Well…"

"Are you safe?"

"Y-Yeah, Kuro checked it for me so…"

"Have a nice night, Aya. And you can stay with him; I'll bail you out of trouble if somebody bothers about it."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Go."

"Thanks…"

Out of the blue, Alissa grabbed her hand, and Aya felt as if a lightning bolt surged her.

"W-What was that?"

"Something to reinvigorate the both of you," she grinned. "You know, men and their first time can be… short…"

"Oh… Well… Thanks again…" Aya's red cheeks were almost glowing in the darkness.

"Somebody has to spoil you…" Alissa sighed.

Aya ran off, and she didn't even bother knocking at Kola's door.

"What do we have here? Did a cow eat the door?"

"Noooo… But you know, I think I'll be able to compensate my lack of manners…"

"Oh? What can you bring to the table then?"

Just like that, Aya took of her tank top and her panties, and she stood by Kola naked in the moonlight.

"I have decided, Kola, I want you to be my first man, and hopefully the only one."

"Are you sure?" Kola asked dumbfounded.

"I'm absolutely sure. Take me. Ravage me. Come into me. All that matters is that I want to become one with you this night," she said and embraced him

"I can't say no to such a resolute and beautiful woman," Kola said with a soft voice and they kissed.

 _"_ _After this, I have to tell her."_

* * *

 **I didn't bother writing what happened afterwards, so don't even bug me, sorry.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	32. Chapter 32 - Of Gods and Agents

Chapter 32 – Of Gods and Agents

* * *

 **Kola's room**

 **January 23, 1983**

Aya was lying at Kola's side, tucked onto his chest and embracing him with one arm. Kola himself also held Aya in a delicate grip.

"That was amazing…" Aya sighed. "So amazing…"

"I concur, way better than whacking off."

"You masturbate?"

"A man has his needs, Aya. Don't you?"

"No… Never tried to be honest. But my other _me_ told me that she had a part of my sexuality, so maybe that's why…"

"That would explain it."

"Well, now you won't need to _sharpen the pole_ , because I'll be with you, heehee…"

"So you're telling me that if I stay by your side, I'll have sex whenever I want?"

"Oh please, Kola… Let's be civilized. When I have my period, no humping."

"How about a blowjob in substitution?"

"Woah, slow down! I only just had my first normal intercourse, don't be so ahead of yourself!"

"Hahaha! You've became so much funnier now, Aya. I love it!"

"Well, you're right… I can take dirty jokes with ease now, heehee…"

"Yeah… You know what… I have to confess you something…"

"You're not gay, that's for sure," she snickered.

"Heh. No, it's not about sexuality… The thing is I have been lying to everyone around about some aspects of my past…"

"What are you talking about?" Aya sat on the bed.

"You see…" Kola propped himself up with one hand. "The name that appears in my papers is nowhere near my real one, and I'm not _just_ a simple mechanic from the sticks."

"Then who exactly are you?"

"My real name should be Nikolai Romanov the Third."

"Romanov? From _the_ Romanovs?!"

"Well, you know, you, the granddaughter of a former Kaiser of Karlsland just had sex with the last living Romanov," Kola smiled.

"Mein Gott… But how?!"

"Well, you came into my room…" Kola tried to jest but he was slapped in the arm. "Ow, okay… During the oh-so-glorious revolution, my then fifteen-year-old mother, Masha Nikolaevna, managed to escape under the guise of some royalists. They literally had to tear her away from my grandmother and her mother, Anastasia Nikolayevna. She escaped to deep Siberia with her teacher and some other people. For a few years, her teacher taught her what he could, but he died of malnourishment after two years. Shortly afterwards, she took refuge with a lumberjack and my stepfather, Yuri Sergeievich Savchenko. Of course, he didn't know who my mother was, and she did a good job in hiding her _highnessnes._ The rest you know, with one exception – my mother gave me all the knowledge she had. Besides Orussian and Britannian, I know Karlslander, Gallian, and Latin. I once got hand on an IQ test once I got into the army, and the result was 175. But I'm poorer than a church mouse, and the KGB is on my tail."

"Why would they be?"

"I could sue the whole damn USSR in The Hague, and they would have to pay me an absurd reparation. And everyone that has his screws tight knows that the economy of this Moloch is keeping itself together on snot and tissues, so if they would have to give me real money of such magnitude, the whole system would go pffft."

Aya puffed her cheeks and stared at him silently.

"What?"

"You told me after we had sex…" she pouted.

"Ugh… I'm sorry, Aya, but… I had to be sure that you're somebody I can trust."

"Well… I suppose you should be a bit paranoid about it… But what now? What should I do with this knowledge?"

"I kind of thought your grandfather would pull some strings and stow me away…"

"Grandpa? Hmm… He probably could…" Aya pondered.

"You would use that absurdly fast new Striker of yours and just transport me over to Karlsland."

"I think that would be impossible… Kola, you know how cold it is to fly at the speeds I'm flying at? A normal human would freeze to death…"

"Who said I'm a normal human?" Kola smirked.

"Heh?"

Suddenly, a pair of fluffy, white round ears popped up on Kola's head. Aya's eyes were now as big and round as dinner plates.

"You… You're a wizard!"

"Yeah… I had to hide it thoroughly… Do you know why all the Romanovs were supposed to be killed?"

"To prevent a situation like now?"

"That too. You know what the inherent magic power in the Romanov bloodline is? Mind Control."

"What? Like literally?"

"Yeah. I doubt I would affect somebody of your willpower, but somebody of a weaker mind I would make do flips. And if I would be bored, I would need to use my Final Art and simply detonate his or hers head…"

"Oh my…" Aya covered her mouth.

"But yeah… Back to your Grandpa…"

"Um… I really don't know… I would have to ask Alissa…"

"Can we trust her?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Okay then, tomorrow after breakfast."

"Okay."

"Now, scoot, or Ellie will rip us a new one."

"Nu-uh."

"Oh? Not afraid of Ellie now?"

"Nu-uh. Alissa told me I can stay."

"Well then! Maybe we can work this out…"

"But you're flat already…" Aya giggled.

"You know, I was too occupied with simply drilling you, that I didn't bother exploring the nooks and crannies of your magnificent body… How about I rectify my error and send an expedition consisting of Miss Rosie Palm and Miss Betsy Hand?"

"Bahahahaha!" Aya fell on her back and started laughing.

"Oh, already on your back? Now, I don't need a better invitation!"

"Waaah, a wild bear! Hahaha!"

 **Corridor**

Katie pulled her hand out of her panties while breathing heavily. Her head was swirling, but she managed to stay up.

 _"_ _This isn't happening… This can't be true…"_

She went to their bedroom, and immediately woke up Ellie with a few pokes on the cheek.

"Whaaaat…" Ellie mumbled and her nose moved. "Why does it smell like trap here?"

"Ugh… Well… I was listening to the two like you told me and… They started… You know… And I suddenly felt wet… And…"

"Oh whatever now, you had a good time, big deal. What did you learn is more important!"

"He's a Romanov, no doubt."

"Snap."

"And he's a wizard."

"What the fuck?!"

"Ooooh, now that's Ellie Genuinely Surprised and Swearing. Yeah, he said he's a wizard."

"Myyy Gooood… Now this is serious… Ultra serious even… What do we do, Katie?"

"You're the smarter one, you think!"

"Says the one whacking the carpet while spying on somebody… Okay, you can catch some z's, it's my time to be awake."

"Thanks, Ellie…" she mumbled.

 **Bedroom**

Elwyn was lying on Giulietta, both half-naked, breathing heavily and red hot from the _exercises_ they were performing just a few seconds ago.

"Oh damn…" Elwyn whispered. "I did it with a girl… And it was so damn good."

"I aim to please, Elwyn. And your rack is quality itself like always."

"Yours is also nice, really."

"Heehee… You know, I'll probably get some poontang tomorrow too…"

"Who the hell do you want to defile now?"

"Sieglinde."

"Did the world end and I missed it, or are you outright shitting me now?"

"I guess she developed a bit of affection to me. Not outright love, mind you, but I guess if I called her my friend in public, she would go red on her cheeks and mumble, "Yeah, kinda…""

"Heheheh… Yeah, that's her allright… Well, whatever, you can go back to your bunk."

"Bawww, I don't wanna…"

"Oh come on, don't be a kid. Shoo," Elwyn made an appropriate gesture.

"Oh okay… A kiss for goodnight?"

"I can give you a pat on the head, you damn hussie," Elwyn muttered.

"Well, gimme!" Giulietta cheered.

Elwyn sighed and patted Giulietta's head for half a minute and the Romagnan scooted off to her top bunk. The Liberian looked to her left and she saw that Aya's bunk was empty.

"Go for it, Aya…" she whispered and relaxed, letting sleep invade her body.

"What a damn brothel…" Alissa sighed quietly in her bed and turned to the other side.

 **Kola's bedroom**

 **0715 MSK**

Aya opened her eyes and looked around.

 _"_ _Huh? Where am I?"_

 _"_ _Look to the right, Mistress."_

She turned her gaze in that direction, and she saw Kola sleeping on his back.

 _"_ _Wah!"_

 _"_ _Mistress…"_

 _"_ _Ah, right… I forgot… What a night, hmmmm…"_

 _"_ _Yes, you sure had much pleasure in your copulative efforts."_

 _"_ _Yeah… Wait, I hope you didn't damn mess with anything?!"_

 _"_ _Nothing! I promise, on… I don't know on what, but I promise!"_

 _"_ _Really?"_

 _"_ _Really!"_

 _"_ _Well okay… But if I start getting sick in the morning in a few days…"_

"What are you pondering about, Aya?"

She twitched a bit, but she didn't make a noise.

"Sorry to startle you."

"No problem… I'm just not used to waking up with a man on my side… My man, heehee…"

"And now I have somebody I can embrace in the night… This is so unreal, Aya!"

"Right?"

 _"_ _Hey, listen!"_

"Did you say something, Aya?"

"Hmm?"

 _"_ _Master, in your head! Use your mind!"_

 _"_ _Huh?"_

 _"_ _Ah, now you're cooking!"_

 _"_ _Wow, I've gone mad…"_

 _"_ _No, dummy! I'm your familiar, Bianca!"_

 _"_ _Huh, what? A talking familiar? What?"_

 _"_ _We're a rarity, but we exist. I waited so long to talk to you!"_

 _"_ _Why didn't you do it earlier then, huh?"_

 _"_ _Because you wanted to conceal your magic out of your whole heart, that's why."_

 _"_ _Oh… Makes sense… So right now I don't give a fuck?"_

 _"_ _Not a single one."_

 _"_ _Well… Er… Nice to meet you, Bianca."_

 _"_ _The pleasure is on my side, Master!"_

 _"_ _Heh… Okay, let's end this, 'cause Aya is looking weirdly at me."_

 _"_ _Okay, we'll talk later!"_

"Now what were you pondering about?" Aya asked with a wry smile.

"I was talking to Bianca."

"Whozat?" Aya tilted her head.

"My familiar. She decided to show herself after a good decade of staying shut."

"Wow! You have a sapient familiar? Cool! Oh, can Kuro and Bianca talk to each other?"

"As in how?"

"Familiars can talk to each other telepathically when they're near."

"Didn't know that… Well, I see no contraindications. Bianca, go talk to that familiar of Aya if you'd like."

 _"_ _Okay, Master! I wanted to talk to him for a week!"_

"She's fired up about it…" Kola sighed.

"Heh…"

"Speaking of being fired up, you should move that perfectly shaped and trained ass of yours to the kitchen."

"Hmm? Why?"

"Well, if I remember correctly…"

"Kitchen duty! Crap! I have to get… Jesus, I'm naked! My panties! My tank top! Then I have to run to the bedroom and… Mother of God…" Aya's mouth fell wide open. "They will know… They will all know! And they will ask questions!"

"Shhh…" Kola placed his finger on her lips. "Just tell them how nice it was and make them jealous like shit."

"You think?"

"Yup."

"Heheh, okay then," Aya giggled and kissed Kola on the cheek. "See you in half an hour."

"Yeah…" Kola said with a dreamy voice, and he looked at Aya from behind, who deliberately walked slowly. "Get the fuck out or I'll get a boner!"

"Hahaha! Okay!" Aya laughed and ran out of the room.

 _"_ _Woah shit! I got to dress up!"_

She quickly pulled on her clothes and ran into the bedroom quietly. When she approached her bunk, she saw that both Nami and Shinobu were sitting on it.

"Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…" they gawked at her audibly.

"W-What?"

"You know what, Aya?" Shinobu asked. "You were out for the whole night. What do you have for your defense?"

"Ugh… I guess I have nothing to say… And I won't lie to you."

"Ya did it?" Elwyn asked from her place.

"Yes," Aya smiled devilishly. "And it was good. All. Four. Times."

"Four times?!" everyone around Aya yelled.

"Eheheh… Well…"

Suddenly the door opened, and Aya's felt that her feet went cold.

 _"_ _Wah! Katie!"_

She quickly diluted time, dressed herself, and after resuming the normal time flow she said, "Nami, come on."

"How… Ah, right, we have to go."

Katie peeked into the room and saw that the two were already going, so she fell back into the corridor.

Once Aya and Nami came out and closed the door, Katie asked, "So, Aya, how do you feel as a woman?"

"W-What? How?!"

"Well, I felt the _call of nature_ in the night and… well, I sort of heard your orgasmic screams of ecstasy coming from Kola's room."

"Shit…" Aya's cheeks reddened immediately. "Um well… It felt good! I never knew that my womanly parts would give me so much fun and pleasure!"

"Oh? You never did any _handiwork_?"

"I was kinda occupied with trying to live my daily life normally…" Aya pouted.

"Right, sorry. So, how did Kola do?"

"Katie, why are you asking such things of Aya?" Nami frowned.

"It's okay, Nami, I can handle this. So, Kola handled well. He was inexperienced, at first, but he got well rounded by the fourth time.

"Fourth?" Katie asked with a bleak face. "Saaaay… Wouldn't you lend him to me for a bit?"

"Nope. Kola is mine and mine alone in every inch. If you know what I mean…" she grinned mischeviously.

"Speaking of which…"

Aya jumped the gun and simply showed what Katie was going to ask with her hands.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyuuuuuuuuuuum!"

"How did that fit…?" Nami pondered.

"Oh it fit nicely," Aya grinned.

"Ugh, stop it Aya…" Katie sighed. "Let's focus on getting to the kitchen and getting something done, kay? And no boasting about your sexual adventure during breakfast, I'm serious."

"Okay."

"It's nice that you understand," Katie smiled.

 **Bedroom**

Alissa stood up from her bed, and walked up to the gathering at Aya's and Elsa's bunk.

"So girls, I hear you're buzzing around from the morning up on how Aya got deflowered?"

"Pretty much yes," Angela answered. "Say, Alissa…"

"You would get demoralized if I told you. So no.."

"What a buzzkill…" Angela muttered.

"My poor Aya…" Sieglinde mumbled whilst sitting on her bunk and having her legs pulled up to her chin.

"Give it a rest, Sieglinde. Aya now has a proper sexual partner," Alissa said calmly and lowered her voice. "How about…" she pointed out Giulietta covertly.

"Working on it…" Sieglinde answered slightly flustered.

"See? Everything will work out. And if you don't stop moping, you'll shovel the snow off the runway."

"The whole thing?!"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'm fine! I'm dandy! I'm peachy, _Gott verdammt_!" Sieglinde turned around.

"Eh…" Alissa waved her hand. "So, anything you want to talk to me about today?"

"Oh, could you help me brush up on my sword fighting?" Shinobu asked.

"I was planning to help Aya to harness her skills after breakfast, so if you want, I can hook you up with us."

"Mhm!" the Fusojin nodded.

"Okay, I guess that makes my training session booked, heh. The rest of you train like good girls with Katie or whoever takes lead."

 **Dining hall**

The girls were slowly appearing for breakfast, but the last one to appear was Kola.

"Morning…" he said and yawned.

Alissa preemptively told everyone to ignore the fact that Aya and Kola had some _fun_ in the night totally. When Aya finally sat at the table after giving out food to everyone, she asked Kola, "No greetings?"

"What, now we kiss every morning and evening?"

"Would be nice, you dunce…" Aya pouted, earning a few laughs.

"Fine by me," he shrugged and gave her a brief kiss on the right cheek. "Better now?"

"Not quite, but I don't want the rest to feel uncomfortable."

"Eat up, Aya, we have training after breakfast, remember?" Alissa said.

"Ah, yes!"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you and Kola will be needed in my office immediately after breakfast," Ellie said with a stern face. "And to cut away any speculations, it's not directly related to last night. Yes, I know."

The two in question were immediately flustered and started eating fast.

"Good, I'll wait," Alissa said and returned to eating.

Shinobu wanted to say something, but she held her tongue and also started eating. After breakfast, Katie and Ellie led Kola and Aya to the office. Ellie sat in her chair, and Katie took place on the edge of the desk.

"This will be a very hard conversation for all of us… There are things that Katie and I have held from you, but it's also mutual. I don't mean you, Aya, you're almost clear anyway. But before I point a finger at anyone, I want to come clear myself. Both Katie and I are members of the CPSU."

"Well, that's not that big of an issue…" Aya scratched her head.

"That wouldn't be an issue if not for something else…" Ellie sighed. "After the war broke out, we were assigned to the Soviet Army. However, since we were Lehs, we didn't have it easy, since Lehistan was basically a puppet state of the USSR. But one day, we had an occasion to change our lives…"

"One shady guy came to us," Katie took over. "He promised that if we join his organization, we would receive our own apartments, promotions, pay raises more personal freedom et cetera. I was all for it, but Ellie was hesitant. However, then the man pulled out his joker."

"He told me that if I refuse, I might as well find myself a workplace in the nearest tank factory. So it came down to either becoming a civilian or…" Ellie took a deep breath. "Joining the Committee for State Security."

"The KGB...!" Aya gasped, and felt that Kola's hand, which was on her shoulder suddenly felt heavier.

"However…" Ellie continued. "After we joined and received all our "rewards," we were made sleeper agents. As weird as it may sound, it's true."

"However, we were recalled to duty so to speak slightly over a week ago. Our primary objective was to spy on you all and get info on the equipment you possess. But… Lately we received different orders…" Katie sighed.

"Our orders were to confirm whether or not Kola was a Romanov, and if confirmed, to either captivate him or execute him if he tries to escape."

" _Suki…_ " Kola barked through his teeth. "And I trusted you… You false, lying bitches!"

"Calm down, Kola, I haven't finished yet," Ellie said. "That was when I decided to write a certain letter…" Ellie accented the last word and looked at Aya meaningfully.

" _That_ letter?" Aya asked.

"Yes, that letter. We're basically begging your dear grandfather to pull all the strings he can and give us asylum, so we can defect from the KGB."

"And how can I trust you?" Kola asked coldly. "You were deceiving me all this time, so how do I know if you're telling the truth now?"

"I admit - you can't trust me. I don't even have proof of the content of the letter. I can only ask you to understand me. I haven't killed a person in my whole life, Katie neither. And if I even captured you alive, it would be like tying the knot of the noose you'll hang on in a damn basement with only two or three witnesses."

"What do you say, Aya?" Kola asked.

"I have a feeling the commander is telling the truth. I really don't feel any bad intent coming from her…"

The door to the room opened violently, and a in a flash, somebody ran in.

"Good morning, comrades," Tatiana said and aimed from a Tokarev at Kola's chest and from some kind of futuristic bulky pistol at Aya's head.

"Tatiana? What are you doing?" Aya asked calmly.

"So you reveal your true colors now, my dear _Chernaya Smert_?" Ellie said sarcastically.

"So you knew all along? Bravo, commander," Tatiana said coldly.

"Yes, I knew it from the moment I saw your file. Katie didn't, since she didn't have access to as much intel as I had."

"Can somebody tell me what is going on?" Katie asked.

"With pleasure," Tatiana said. "First, a bit about me. My credentials are, as you would say, _legit_. However, what only one of you knew, I have a second life. I am the Black Death, the best assassin of the KGB. Both this room and Kola's bedroom are spiked with bugs, which I could use thanks to my powers."

"She isn't boasting, trust me," Ellie said. "I'm the White Death for my looks and my effectiveness in anti-Neuroi combat, but Tatiana here is said to be as effective as or even more so at killing people than the Plague. What were the numbers again, Tatiana?"

"That data is confident, my dear colleague, but I can assure you that my success rate is something nobody will top in decades."

"So, what's your mission then?"

"To kill the Romanov and anybody that stands in my way."

"Well, that was simple."

Aya looked at Tatiana with furled eyebrows and started looking at the pistols she held.

"Curious about my weapons of trade, Aya? The Tokarev is a Tokarev, nothing fancy. The one I'm aiming at you right now is a Gerasimenko VAG-73, a 48 round 7.62mm caseless, semi-automatic pistol. I bet you're thinking that a pistol is nothing for a witches shield. Well guess again, the bullets are Etherite tipped."

The three girls twitched, but Kola only raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, pardon me, you're slightly out of touch probably," Tatiana said sarcastically. "Etherite was developed from highly refined crystalized ether in 1946. And in the same year, its proliferation, production, usage, and storing were banned by the United Nations. Why? During a freak accident, an etherite crystal exploded. One of the assistants in the laboratory was a young witch, but despite putting up a shield, a big shard simply pierced her forehead and went out the back of her head. That sparked curiosity of her comrades, and soon, after experiments with... _volunteers_ … it was concluded that etherite has immense shield corroding effects. A normal human firing etherite tipped rounds can pierce weak shields, or even quite strong ones, if the caliber is big enough, but a witch can simply tear apart anything but the strongest of the strongest of shields. Now, Kola may be a wizard, but he's probably unskilled to the point that the only shield he saw was on TV. However, I'm that good an assassin because I don't take chances. Thus, I now have my weapons loaded with full etherite rounds. Even if you would put up a shield, the bullet would massacre you. You know, basic body armor just gives up before rounds from the Tokarev, but combined with etherite… A whole new level of deadliness…"

"Tatiana, you don't have to do this. We can help you," Aya said calmly.

"Bullshit. The KGB would poison me even if I ran to the Amazonas."

"Maybe. But you know… Her grandfather has some heavy backing, despite being retired," Ellie said nonchalantly.

"Oh reaaaallly… Story time is too soon."

"Well, it won't probably move you that I included you in that letter."

"What?" a muscle twitched on Tatiana's face.

"You heard me. I included you in that letter. Knowing who you are, I calculated you into my whole plan. Therefore, if anything happens to anyone, every man and woman Toshiro von Edelweiss can muster, or maybe even he himself personally, will hunt you down. However, if you give up, you will be included in our plans of defecting."

"I don't believe you!" Tatiana shouted and pressed the Tokarev harder against Kola's chest.

"Aren't you tired already, Tatiana? You've been killing since you were eight; maybe it's time to retire?"

"No! No! I can't retire! I have nothing in the world I could return to!"

"Nothing?" Aya asked. "You have us, your friends."

"Shut up! You can't have friends in the KGB! What do you even know about me?! Nothing!"

"Then please, tell us about yourself."

"No."

"Please, Tatiana. I want to know more about the person I'll rip the guts out of…" Aya said with a cutesy smile, but everyone in the room felt a chill up their spine.

"Fat chance. But okay, I'll tell you how a little girl became a killer. My father was a drunkard, a violent one to boot. My dear mother was a saint to put up with him. Whenever he was drunk, he swore and beat up my mother. I hated him with all the fibers of my body. And one day he got so drunk that he started choking my mother. I ran to his study and pulled out this Tokarev, the same I'm holding in my left hand, and shot that son of a bitch in the head. Ah, by the way, as you now probably guessed, I lied about the origin of my pistol; this wasn't my Grandma's, but whatever now."

Tatiana took a breath and continued.

"My mother was scared, but I saw relief in her eyes. We had to run though. I took the pistol, Mom took some stuff and money, and we ran into the night. Moscow at night is a dangerous city, but… well, waving a pistol around sure helps. It wasn't till early morning that a man stumbled upon our path. He offered us asylum. Later I learned that he was ordered to find us, and that he was heftily rewarded. I was the grandniece of a CPSU dignitary after all. But he genuinely fell in love with my mother. However, my fate was different. They sent me to a secret witch development program. They found out that my aptness to kill is on an unprecedented level. I was basically born to be an assassin. And my life changed to constant training, and once I was twelve, I started receiving my first hit orders. Literally, nobody expected that a small girl with grey hair would insert a bullet from a silenced pistol between their eyes. I traveled all around the world, as an assassin and as a counter-assassin. But this… This was supposed to me my last mission. They promised that if I kill Kola, they would free me."

"They're lying, Tatiana," Ellie said. "You're in your prime, you know? They WILL use you until you're twenty, or even longer. You don't kill a chicken laying golden eggs."

"Bullshit! They promised!" Tatiana shouted with a trembling voice.

"You trust the KGB? Ha!" Katie laughed.

"But you got your rewards!"

"Yeah. But now we have to earn them. We don't have to dirty our proverbial hands," Ellie smiled wryly. "We just have to tie up Kola like a Christmas ham and wait for an airlift. But we won't do it, because we have principals. Because we believe in humanity. You're not lost yet, Tatiana. You made friends in this unit. We treat you with respect. Lay down your weapons, and everything will be okay…"

"No! No! No! No! I will kill Kola, and receive MY reward!" Tatiana yelled.

Her both hands were trembling so much that she wouldn't hit a barn from fifty meters. Thus, she silently lowered her guns and holstered them.

"I can't… I really can't…" she said with an emotionless voice. "Even you, Kola, showed me some warmth… The man I was to kill, just because some bald fuck told me to… Aya… I was to kill your future husband… Will you forgive me?"

"Of course I will," Aya said softly. "But I won't forget."

With a swift movement of her hand, she slapped Tatiana on her cheek.

"W-Why?" Tatiana started tearing up rapidly. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" she started crying and fell on her knees. "The mean girl hiiiiiiit meeeeee! Waaaaaaaaah!"

Aya looked dumbfounded at Kola, but he was as stumped as Aya was.

"I want my moooooomyyyyy!" Tatiana cried.

Ellie stood up from her chair, approached Tatiana, kneeled at her side, and hugged her.

"Moooommmyyyyy!" Tatiana hugged her back.

"I guess your slap was the straw that broke the camel's back, Aya. Her childhood, that the KGB took away, now returned vigorously," Ellie said and Tatiana started sobbing quietly.

"But why is she calming down so fast?"

"I resemble her mother. I know, since I saw her photos."

"Who was her mother?"

"You don't know?" Ellie asked surprised.

"Well, I guess it was Sanya Litvyak's daughter…"

"Yes, it was. WAS."

"Was? But I heard nothing about…"

"Maybe you weren't told not to bother you. Natasha Vladimirovna Shagayeva, the first and only daughter of Sanya Litvyak died of tuberculosis last year."

"Oh my…" Aya covered her lips and started slowly tearing up. "But Sanya looked so… normal at the reunion…"

"She was just considerate of everyone, Aya."

"I see… Poor Tatiana…"

"Compared to you, she was the one who had it tough, huh?"

"I won't oppose…"

Tatiana stopped sobbing, and then she separated herself from Ellie.

"Errr… Did I just…"

"Uhuh," Kola nodded.

Tatiana's usually pale face flushed with redness and she whispered, "I'm finished… I defected from the KGB, and I just bawled like a baby before my unit commander…"

"Come on, it's not that bad. Nobody will say anything about this whole situation, right?" Ellie looked around. "Right?"

"Nope," Kola said.

"Not a word," Aya added with a smile.

"And why are you even asking? Of course not!" Katie pouted.

"Does that include me?" Alissa peered into the room.

"You too? Now I want to cry again…" Tatiana muttered and let her head hang low.

"Oh don't worry, I won't tell anybody about anything. And it's really brave of you to do what you're doing, I applaud you, Tatiana."

"Thank you…" she mumbled and stood up. "Err… Kola?"

"Hmm?"

"I hope my Striker won't suddenly fail me…"

"I don't even know how to repair them in the first place. Don't worry, I'm not the vengeful type. Well, I would like to sue the shit out of this country, but that's different."

"Thanks… I wanted to kill you a few minutes ago, and now we're talking casually like that… Thank you…"

"Come on, Aya, let's go training. Shinobu is getting antsy," Alissa said from the doorway.

"Heh, okay. Till later, everyone, ma'am."

"Bye, Aya," Ellie smiled. "Thanks for helping to defuse the situation a bit."

"Heehee…"

As Aya was walking down the corridor with Alissa, she asked, "You weren't tempted to jump in?"

"And you weren't tempted to just break her arms while diluting time?"

"I asked first!"

"And I'm ranked higher."

"Bawwww… Well, yeah, I was. But I wanted a peaceful resolution."

"But you snapped anyway. Or rather slapped…" Alissa giggled.

"It's weird that I had found it in me but… When I thought she could injure Kola…"

"I understand, Aya… I understand too well… Ah, and here's Shinobu."

"Took you some time…" she pouted.

"Ah, the commander sure is talkative, heehee…" Aya lied with ease. "Alissa, I guess we should go somewhere… remote?"

"You're right, Aya. With the three of us, this base could be unintentionally razed…"

"What kind of monsters are you two?"

"You'll see," Alissa smiled. "Both of you get changed."

"Roger that," Aya said. "Come on, Shino!"

"For the last ti… Wah, don't pull me!" Shinobu protest were futile as Aya tugged her to the bedroom.

* * *

After getting dressed, they went outside, and saw Alissa sitting in the snowplow.

"Eh?" Shinobu tilted her head.

"I want to have some fun, come inside you two."

"Well, whatever now…"

Once the two climbed inside, Alissa started the engine and powered through the snow towards the dead end of the runway. When there, she made some space for them to train.

"You sure had fun," Shinobu smiled. "Now can we have ours?"

"By all means! Jump out, and let's start!"

The two jumped out, and joined Alissa in the center of the makeshift training area.

"Okay, Aya, summon that sword of yours."

"Kagemaru? Will it accept me now?" Aya asked unsurely.

"You won't know until you try, right?"

"Suuuure…" Aya muttered and held her hand high above her head.

A blinding light appeared and Aya felt a pleasant weight in her palm.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaa…" Shinobu said with her mouth opened.

"Indeed…" Aya looked at her sword in awe.

The blade in her hand had a light gold silk wrapped hilt and a light gold streak running down the length of either side of the blade near the spine, and with a ribbon dangling off its hilt.

"Wait, what?" Aya asked. "This isn't Kagemaru!"

"This is Hikarimaru, the opposite of Kagemaru."

"So the light replaced the shadow…" Shinobu pondered. "Certainly is symbolic, Aya."

"Yes… I feel like I… Oh! In my mind! I saw something trapped in a levitating block of ice with chains around it!"

"Maybe this was Hikarimaru waiting for you?" Alissa mused. "Maybe it waited for your _completeness_ to find you worthy?"

"And you know that how, Alissa? Oh, actually, I do have a question about something…"

"Not now, Aya. Now, we focus on training. Shinobu, your sword, go."

"Kay!" Shinobu cheered and summoned her Nagareboshi. "Done!"

"So that leaves me…" Alissa said, and a katana with a purple wrapping appeared in her hand. "Shinobu, this is Jouten."

"Pfff, what a mouthful…"

"Oh you'll see that the name may be a bit too flamboyant for you now, but later it will make sense. SO, let's begin."

 **Commander's office**

"So you want to confess everything at dinner?" Tatiana asked.

"Yes," Ellie answered. "No more lies. No more half-truths. I'm sick of this, and I intend to change it."

"So be it," Tatiana said with a stern face. "I'll follow up."

"I guess I have to speak up too," Katie sighed.

"Would be nice," Ellie giggled. "Okay, Tatiana, give me those boom sticks of yours, and go to sleep. It's way past your bedtime, heehee…"

"Heh, okay, I will," Tatiana said as she gave her both holsters. "Good… something."

"Till dinner, Tatiana."

When the Orussian exited the office, Katie said, "What a nice girl under all that frigidness…"

 **Runway**

 **1400MSK**

"Okay, that's a wrap!" Alissa shouted and dispelled her sword.

"Dear Gods, why did I even bother training with you two… I'm out of my damn league by two divisions at least!" Shinobu moaned.

"Girls, I don't mean to impose anything, but dinner is going to be served in a few minutes," Katie's voice was heard in their transponders.

"Roger, we're returning home," Alissa responded. "Let's go back and fill our bellies. You both deserved it."

"If it was Mio training us, I would probably get a single noodle for my results."

"Oh no, you would get your food, just because you tried to hold up despite being outclassed badly."

"Oh… If you say so…" Shinobu got flustered a bit.

"I mean it. But now, chop chop, or we'll all be starving."

* * *

After driving to the main building and entering it, the girls undressed from their outside clothes, and went to the dining hall.

"Were all those booms really necessary?" Marie asked. "I felt the rumbling in the gym."

"We were training hard," Shinobu shrugged. "Shame you didn't see us."

"Maybe…"

"Alissa? How's Aya?" Angela asked.

"Aya Two is a wimp compared to her now."

"Oooooooh… I so want to see her in combat!" Sieglinde said enthusiastically.

"Sooner or later, some Neuroi will want to crash the party, so who knows."

"Okay, food time!" Katie cheered. "Come and get it!"

* * *

After dining, Ellie said, "I have an announcement everyone… Alissa, Aya, you can go if you like."

"Actually, that's a good idea. I wanted to talk to Aya about something."

"Go then. You already know what I have to say now," Ellie smiled slightly.

"Come on, Aya."

"Ummm… Okay."

During the walk in the corridor, Alissa said, "I'll tell you something about Kye Akari, and about Hikarimaru."

"W-What? How did you know?"

"You'll see," she winked.

Alissa led Aya into the bedroom, where they sat on Aya's bunk.

"So…"

"Yes, your sword is actually mine," Alissa said.

"Huh?"

"Not Jouten, mind you. I was using Hikarimaru since… hmmm… a long time."

"Huuuuh?"

"Heehee… Maybe this will clarify things a bit," Alissa snapped her fingers, and her clothes changed into a purple shortened kimono.

"Woah, nice trick! And your eyes also changed!"

"Heheh… The thing is, my dear pupil, I am not the one who you believe me to be."

"And who are you then?" Aya asked suspiciously.

"The name Alissa Maya still belongs to me, but that is the name I adopted for when I stay with my husband. In truth, I am a goddess, and my name is Kye Akari."

Aya looked at Kye fiercely in silence and said, "Hard to believe…"

"I helped your dear granddad during the Second Neuroi War in this world."

"Whoa! Then you should be as old as him! And you look like you're twenty!"

"Heehee, oh pshaw…" Kye giggled. "Indeed. Nothing hard for an immortal."

"Indeed… But why are you here then? Just for shits and giggles or something important?"

"A bit of the former, and a bit of the latter," Kye moved her hand back and forth. "I have a proposition you won't refuse, Aya."

"Okaaaaay…"

"I want to take you to a battle simulation."

"A battle simulation?"

"Where your grandpa is now fighting."

"Where my… whaaaat?!"

"September 1945, my dear daughter Kaylie, whom you've already met once, yoinked Toshiro out of his world and transported him to mine."

"I met somebody named Kaylie?"

"Red hair."

"Don't tell me… Really?!"

"Who else would I entrust my sword?"

"Then did Shino…"

"Yes, she too. It was sad to see when her older sister got Reppumaru, and she got left with only the crappy Masakuni."

"Unbelievable… But returning to the main topic…"

"Yes, Toshiro is now in a battle simulation, and I want you to attend to it."

"But… Won't that cause some type of time paradox?"

"Who do you think I am? Of course not!" suddenly, the room they were in faded away, and the upper atmosphere of Earth materialized. Aya instinctively tried to grasp for air, but Kye shook her head. "See? You don't need air, and that's my doing."

"But…"

Kye held up her hand, gesturing Aya to wait a moment. She then snapped her fingers, and everything froze. "Let's go for a little ride, shall we?" Kye took Aya's arm and took off at a speed that Aya couldn't fathom even with using her time dilution to slow it down. Once the two stopped, Aya saw that they were floating near the rings of Saturn. "Ever watched a sunset from the moon? Mars perhaps? Saturn is the best view, I think. At least in this solar system."

"Uh…"

Kye smiled at the girl. "Too much? Don't answer that," she snapped her fingers, and the two vanished. They reappeared back in the bedroom on base. "Convinced?"

Aya nodded her head slowly. "That was… insane."

"Such is the power of a god. So you're coming, right? You should! You'll be amazed by who is participating!"

"I will… But if I leave now…"

"Oh don't worry, I'll take you to my world, and when you're role is done, I'll return you here in the same second we left. No time will have passed between your departure and return."

"That surely is some god tier shit you're talking about… An occasion to meet Grandpa while he's eighteen… Hah, Shino and Sigi would pop if they knew!"

"Sorry, I only got one ticket," Kye winked.

"Heh… Okay then, take me there, Kye. If that's your real name."

"Real as it can be, although you may call me by whichever name you find most comfortable."

Both of them chuckled, and suddenly, Aya felt as her body was levitating.

"Woah, woah! Not again!"

Kye took Aya's arm again before saying, "And off we go!"

* * *

 **And now you all should read Legendary Witches 3 by Doran Maya if you didn't. You should, but you don't have to actually, since I'll give a TL;DR around the next chapter anyway, so the newcomers won't feel out of place.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	33. Chapter 33 – I'm back!

Chapter 33 – I'm back!

* * *

 **TL;DR from LW3: Aya pops into a battle simulation with Toshiro when he's still 18. Toshiro discovers he's in fact a god himself, but his godly self is seriously weakened and locked out. Livy, his partner god from his previous life rekindles the love for Toshiro in herself, as well as in him, now that he remembers who he really is. Toshiro of course is also entranced in the 20-something year old Yoshika from that parallel universe. The chaotic god Mavet, his partner god-slash-consort Maeve and their daughter Maia pop up into the simulation. From simulation, it goes into a real war, where the fate of two worlds is at stake. Aya and Toshiro kick Maia's well-developed ass with the new tricks they learned, where the conquered promises a good time to both of them as reward. In a total asspull, Kye gets a powerup and shoes off Mavet and Maeve into their own sandbox. Toshiro goes his way; Aya goes back her way, after both promise themselves that they will meet again in a new light once the time is ripe.**

 **That's more or less what happened, I don't give a flat fuck about characters that I didn't write.**

* * *

 **?**

 **1230 CET**

"Tooooshiiiiroooo!" a Fusojin woman with brown, short cut hair mused while walking along the underground corridor under her residence. Her brown eyes were sparkling in the fluorescent light of the corridor. Despite her metrical age, she looked so good that many men she met secretly using a four letter, all caps acronym starting with the letter M behind her back to describe her beauty. "Where'd yaaa hiiiiide?"

"Here!" a deep male voice echoed.

"Here where?!" the woman asked irritated. "You know well that your little underground sandbox is a bit complicated!"

"Go forward and you'll meet me eventually!"

"Mumble grumble…"

She made her way forward, and wound up in the main room of a secret lab. A man in a Karlslander General uniform was standing inside amongst a vast amount of hardware, both weapons, Strikers, and computers alike. He looked as if he just entered his forties, but in fact, this year he would be half a decade away from his sixties. His short cut black hair and golden eyes glowing in the darkness were as iconic of him as they were back in the days of his stormy young adulthood.

"You're taking that clunker with you?" she pointed at the Striker in an electronic test bed.

"Should I remind you why I shouldn't take anything else?" he sighed.

"Well… Yes, heehee… I love when you talk science, it makes me tingly…"

"Geheheh… Fifty-three and you're still as lewd the day I met you… More actually…" Toshiro shook his head. "So, where do I start?"

"Air Bands? You told me they're working."

"Bah, of course they are! Took me some time, but I think I brought them up to spec, maybe even a bit more than that. But the reason I'm not pulling them out of the proverbial shed is that even with today's technology, it's too complicated and expensive to manufacture, despite the tremendous performance compared to even the most modern jets. And believe me, after somebody saw me flying without a Striker, I would have to shoo every military manufacturer in the world with a hundred foot pole."

"Heehee, yes, that makes sense. And the Striker Flight Suit?"

"That's the SFS," Toshiro pointed out a coat hanger, on which a wire mesh in the shape of a human was hanging. "To properly work, it needs a material able to withstand enormous magical energy being pumped through those circuits and spread it evenly across the whole suit without losses. Losses generate heat, and heat means trouble. You remember what happened during my tests?"

"Heh… Well, that was a poor sight… First you used a suit made of silk infused with your own magic. It worked, but it started burning after a few minutes at Mach 10, so you had to land. Land hard…"

"Yeaaaah… I kind of remember every bone I broke then…"

"And every one of them I healed, heehee… And I healed the results of the second test…"

"Ugh, that was a failure… I just went "fuck this shit" and pulled on the wiring on my bare skin. It was nice until I crossed Mach 20, but then it all started heating up quickly, magic discharges started happening and poof."

"And my dear hubby looked like a roasted ham, heehee… It must hurt your pride that you can't make the SFS, hmm?" she embraced him from the back.

"Yeah… Livy won't help me with acquiring a material like Sky Silk, and I don't want to fucking bother with Kye… Ehhh…"

"But you made these ion propulsion thingies, and that's something Kye didn't do, right?"

"Why bother, when she made the SFS? World to world I'm playing in the back division anyway. That bitch has had the jumpstart of having seen shit from sixty years in the future, and having connections to gods and immortals that can give a fuck… And I have to invent everything with Yuki! Without any reference, just a few shitty memories that Kye gave me back in the simulation!"

"True… I wonder how Toshiro Deuce is going along…"

"Don't remind me… Knowing me, he probably already invented something like a seventh generation SFS that could traverse the damn Earth in a minute… Or Striker Flight Panties, so you can just pull on a pair of G-strings and whoosh, you're flying Mach 100!"

"Hahaha! Oh Toshiro, you're so sour that the floor will melt under you!" Yoshika laughed loudly.

"Yeah… Ugh… Okay, Yoshika, time for me to go it seems… I have an important mission."

"Be careful, Toshiro. You're way past your prime…" Yoshika said with concern reverberating from every word.

"Don't worry, Yoshika. I'll come back in one piece."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The two kissed, and Toshiro took the Striker, and a big container beside it.

"Anything you want pass on to your granddaughter?"

"Think of something nice," Yoshika smiled. "Oh, and I hope you won't be trying to hump some of the girls there, huh?"

"You know, Shinobu might have a fancy for me… She literally screams silently of jumping on my spear."

"Oh shush, you dunce…" Yoshika gave him an elbow to the ribs. "But I suppose IF she wants to do it… I'm only getting older, and my body isn't as fresh as it used to be…"

"Yoshika, Yoshika… You still think that I'll hump everything that has tits?"

"Yes," she responded without missing a beat.

"Ugh, whatever…" Toshiro sighed deeply.

"If she really wants to do it, do her. You'll have a belated birthday present."

"Really?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow slowly.

"Yes. I saw that my last present wasn't received by you with great enthusiasm."

"Well… Um… How to say it… I don't particularly like the color pink…"

"Heehee… Don't worry, as your lovely wedded wife, I forgive you. Go now."

Toshiro took the duffle bag that was in beside the door, and he went outside. After putting on the Striker, he took the control unit and strapped it on his wrist. Firmly gripping his luggage, he jumped off into the sky with blinding speed.

 _"_ _So, you're back in business, huh, Bucko?"_

 _"_ _Ah, Yuki, always there for me to piss me off to high heaven! How if fucking love you!"_

 _"_ _And I love you too, you damn sexist, perverted, meddling geezer!"_

 _"_ _Pot meet grain silo, you're older than me by a magnitude of values!"_

 _"_ _Don't you point out a woman's age, you old shit!"_

 _"_ _Bahahahaha! Just like old times!"_

 _"_ _Remember how old are you, even after your little… corrections…"_

 _"_ _Pff, I know my body better than you!"_

 _"_ _Fat chance…"_

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Bedroom**

 **1434 MSK**

"Woah!" Aya exclaimed after reappearing in the bedroom. "Um, Kyelissa, that was awesome. I didn't know that Grandpa was so cool back in his days!"

"Well, what only Elder Gods know, is how he really killed Xadea, heheh… One day you will get to know, but not today. Anywho, let's resume our… daily lives so to speak."

"So what, you're now the goddess or the mortal Kye?"

"Right now I'm still the goddess, because I'm continuing to freeze the time around us. But as Alissa, I'm a mortal. I have memories of all important events of the future, so I can react accordingly, but nothing more."

"Yeah right, and pigs fly."

"No deceiving you," Kye smiled. "I just act mortal, but I try to be as mortal as I can be, since grumpy ol' Toshiro would be stomping around."

"I see… Well, maybe that will make me less… anxious around you…"

"Oh don't worry, I won't turn you into a man, nor will I turn your friends into men. Toshiro forbade me such tomfoolery, and I don't want back out on my word."

"Ugh, no wonder he was so cranky when I saw you with him…" Aya sighed.

"That's Toshiro for you. So, back to normality, Aya. We have to wait a few minutes, so nobody will get suspicious."

"Can't you just advance time a few minutes?"

"Eheheh, now that's what I wanted to hear!"

"More like, "I knew it since the day I became and Elder God."'

"Done. Now, back to reality. Let's go the dining room; the girls are discussing something hard."

"Should we really get involved?" Aya asked.

"Your calm rationale will be needed. You'll be surprised by who is pissed off the most."

They exited into the corridor and saw that Kola was simply leaning against the wall near the entrance. Aya could hear a familiar angry voice, slinging slews of curses.

"Liz?" Aya asked.

"Yup. She went ballistic after the three came clear."

"Why did she do that?"

"Ask her yourself, the rest ain't succeeding in that endeavor."

Aya looked towards Alissa, and she shook her head.

"Fine, I'm going in alone," she pouted and entered the room.

"Ah, Aya!" Elizabeth spotted her immediately. "Can you imagine what fucking, conniving, two-faced, bloody agents we had amongst us?"

"Well, until they came clear today I didn't suspect anything."

"Well no fucking wonder, they're the KGB! The fucking KGB! We had commie spies watching our daily lives, mingling with us, and probably plotting our deaths!"

"Oh please, Liz, you're going into extremes now. Calm down."

"I won't fucking calm down! My mother taught me that honesty and truthfulness are the most important things in life! And we had three bloody KGB stooges here!"

"Aya heeeelp…" Elsa pled quietly.

"But they did come clear, right? They told everything and confessed their sins publicly, right? So why not find some compassion and forgiveness, hmm? Come on, Liz, do it for me," Aya said calmly.

"No…!" the Britannian stood her ground.

"They had to do what they did, Liz. They only found so much wiggle space to move around. And remember, you're swearing like the child of a sailor and a grave digger, and Miss Ellie will surely pull some consequences."

"I don't give a rancid f… Oh damn… Ooooooh damn…" Elizabeth looked scared at Ellie. "Errr…. Ummmm… Heh… Sorry for my outburst… Heh…" she laughed dryly.

"Oh whatever now, we deserved it," Ellie waved her hand lazily from side to side. "At least somebody yelled at us. I don't ask you for forgiveness, Elizabeth, but only for a small pinch of understanding."

Elizabeth took a deep breath and said, "I understand you reasoning, ma'am, but your actions were wrong according to my code of conduct and upbringing, that's it. And you know I'm a hothead at times."

"I know, indeed. So, can I hope you won't be trying to poison me?"

"Please, ma'am…" Elizabeth smiled.

"Okay then, everyone dismissed. I still have to play it straight with the commies, so back to the office with me. Alissa, do with the girls what you like."

Alissa peaked in from the corridor and asked, "Aaaaanything?"

"Except for orgies, of course."

"Baawww…" Giulietta sulked.

"Of course, heh. Well then, wait your usual time after dinner, and let's train all together.

"Roger!" The girls cheered and ran to the exit.

 **Airspace over the Orussian SFSR**

 **40000 meters ASL**

 _"_ _Okay, Toshiro, time to land."_

 _"_ _I think I'll cloak myself. I don't want to spoil the surprise."_

 _"_ _One person already knows… Eh…"_

 _"_ _Indeed, true that…"_

Toshiro went invisible and he started diving into the cloud cover. It took him only twenty seconds of rapid descent, and he was already nearing the ground. He started slowly braking down, taking an arced landing path.

 _"_ _That must be the hangar…"_

He started vertically descending before the hangar, and finally he touched down on the runway. He jumped out of his Striker and entered the hangar through the small door on the side of the big one.

 _"_ _Well… This is some nice heat the girls are packing… They even have a damn tank!"_

Toshiro moved to the Striker Units, and he saw a peculiar gun behind the Launch Unit containing the EIF-03.

 _"_ _A railgun… If Aya is_ healed _then she should be able to use it. Bah, I'm jealous! Damn retarded Wehrmacht weapons development!"_

Suddenly, a figure well known to him appeared before him. A blonde, transcendental beauty in a pink kimono, looked at him compassionately with golden eyes, and while bowing her head slightly, she said, "Welcome back, Master."

"Ah, Livy!" Toshiro rushed and embraced her. "Sweetie, it's nice of you to appear!"

"I'm glad to see you in the real world, Master."

"And vice-versa," Toshiro grinned.

"Thank you, Master," Livy smiled. "And Master, this crude piece of machinery is nothing compared to my own Railgun Mode, please remember that."

"I won't forget, Sweetie," Toshiro smiled. "Especially that we have some new tricks up our sleeves, heh…"

"Heehee, indeed… I bid my farewell, Master."

"Yeah, bye, I have stuff to do too."

Livy disappeared, and Toshiro propped his Striker against the Launch Unit. He pulled an MG3 H1 out of his container. After placing it near his Striker, he went toward the building it suspected it was the main one, with only his duffle bag in his hands.

When he wanted to enter it, just as he was to grab the door handle, it opened, and tall, bulky man with a short blonde hair cut came out.

"Hi," Toshiro said.

"Hello. Who might you be?" Kola asked.

"You don't recognize me? Shaaaaaaaaame…"

 _"_ _Hey, Toshiro! This guy is a wizard!"_

 _"_ _Really?"_

 _"_ _Yeah! His familiar is trying as hard as she can to conceal herself, but I of course spotted her!"_

 _"_ _And damn proud you are about that…"_

"Now that you say it… I hear a bell ringing, but I don't know in which church…" Kola pondered.

"Well, whatever now, big guy. _Mienia zavod_ Toshiro," he said and forwarded his hand.

Kola opened his eyes wide and said, "T-Toshiro? You came!"

As he proceeded with mangling his hand, Toshiro said, "And you still didn't tell me your name, but I have a hunch it starts with the letter K…"

"Oh, ah, yes!" Kola released his hand. "I'm Kola."

"We'll have to talk later on, Bub," Toshiro poked his chest.

"Uh… Y-Yes sir…" he replied slightly abash.

"Take me to your leader," Toshiro said while giving a sign that every Trekkie would understand.

"I don't get it, but I'll take you to Ellie anyway," he smiled.

Toshiro walked alongside Kola silently, and at one moment, they stopped before a door. Kola knocked and received an answer, "Come in."

"Follow me inside," Toshiro whispered and opened the door, going in first. "Afternoon," Toshiro said to the only person inside, awfully reminiscent of one of his Ostmarkian friends.

Ellie jumped up from her chair and saluted, "Welcome sir!"

"At ease… Ellie?"

"Yes sir!" Ellie said and slammed down on her chair.

"Ah, pardon me; I'll take off my jacket first," Toshiro said and unzipped his jacket, revealing a modern Bundeswehr uniform, with a pair of unique epaulets.

"What's that rank, if I may ask, sir?"

"This? Oh, when Karlsland was still an empire, I had the rank of Reichsmarschall, but after the transformation into a republic, my rank changed to Bundesmarschall. Oh, and might I add, it's a functional rank," Toshiro smirked.

"A five star right before me…" Ellie gasped.

"Anywho, get me that whole Tatiana and Katherine. And Aya. Hold the Alissa."

"Yes sir!"

"Stop with the official shit…"

"Yes… Toshiro," Ellie smiled slightly.

"Much better," Toshiro followed suit.

Ellie fired up the PA panel and said, "Katie, Tanya, and Aya – to my office NOW," Once she shut it off, she asked, "S-So…"

"When everyone is here. I guarantee it's worth the minute wait."

"Okay."

"You really do look like Horbie. The same intelligent eyes and beauty…" Toshiro sighed.

"Oh please… You're flustering me…" Ellie's cheeks went ablaze.

 _"_ _Oh stop it, you fucking animal…"_

 _"_ _Hey, I'm complimenting the lady, stuff a sock in it!"_

 _"_ _You would probably want to stuff something else somewhere else…"_

 _"_ _My plumbing is still working, so might as well use the occasion."_

 _"_ _Eeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh…"_

"By the way…" Ellie pulled out a small silver pocket watch out of her pocket. "Remember this?"

"Yeah…" Toshiro said with a voice full of melancholy. "Horbie showed it to me in London… Poor girl sure had a tragic tale to tell…"

"I guess it's a family trait…" Ellie sighed.

After bit of waiting, the door opened, and Katie entered, and Tatiana and Aya following her, all glistening from sweat and in their training clothes.

Aya zipped past Katie, cheered, "Grandpa!", and jumped to him.

Toshiro hugged his favorite granddaughter and said, "What's up, Aya? Everything okay?"

"You won't believe what I just experienced…" she whispered.

"I remember everything, my dearest of granddaughters," he whispered back. "We'll talk later."

"Kay," Aya said and whispered, "We made it, Grandpa."

"I know," he smiled, remembering the promise from the simulation, and let her jump down, revealing Katie and Tatiana standing straight like beanpoles.

Toshiro simply smiled and walked up to Katie with his extended hand, "Toshiro."

"Um… Katherine."

"Not something less tongue numbing?"

"Heh, Katie will do," she grinned.

"Nice body," he whispered and went to Tatiana. "Now, what's the status with you?"

"I told them everything, sir."

"Well then…" Toshiro grabbed her right hand and shook it. "Toshiro."

"Tatiana."

"How are you feeling about… you know…?"

"I couldn't attend her funeral… I was on a mission in Neue Karlsland…" she replied with a gloom face.

"No wonder I didn't see you then…" Toshiro sighed and patted her on the head. "But I might have something that will cheer you up," he turned around. "All of you for that matter."

He walked up to his duffle bag, unzipped it and dug out something, which he threw on the desk of Ellie. Four green booklets with " **Bundesrepublik Karlsland / REISEPASS / PASSPORT / PASSEPORT"** written on the cover, and a Karlslander eagle in gold between the captions.

"Congratulations, ladies and one gent, you're all now citizens of the Bundesrepublik of Karlsland."

Tatiana quickly swiped off one of the passports, and obviously she picked right, as she asked, "How the hell did you get such a good photo of me?!"

"The weights I had to push, and strings I had to pull probably put a strain on me for the rest of my life, but I managed to finish all the formalities in a lightning fast manner. Though my bank account thinned out a wee bit in the process…"

"How much?" Katie asked.

"How bold of you. Will you sleep easier knowing?" Toshiro asked.

"Prolly yeah."

"One million Karlsmarken."

Everyone around, even Aya, made eyes as big as dinner plates.

"That's the sum of _grease_ I had to apply to get all your data from the commies, and to issue four legit passwords, and these…" Toshiro said and pulled out four sealed envelopes. "Naturalization certificates," he said and handed out the envelopes. "So basically, you're all as legit as it can be."

"So what now?" Katie asked. "We run?'

"No," Ellie answered. "We wait until the 31st. They will be demanding a report by then. Once that happens, we tell them the biggest fib we can possibly think of, and we do a beeline to Karlsland."

"More or less my plan," Toshiro said.

"Oh, snap…" Tatiana said suddenly. "What about the bugs?"

"What bugs?" Toshiro asked.

"This office and Kola's room are bugged with low-range microphones. That's how I confirmed Kola's heritage when he talked about it after having sex with mmfm…" Aya suddenly gagged her comrade.

"Having sex with…" Toshiro stared at Kola. "Kola, who might she be referring to?"

"Weeeeeeeell… There's a lot of possibilities…" he looked to the side.

Toshiro then looked at Aya, who was visibly sweating. "Aya, do YOU know anything about that?"

"Eh…" she exhaled deeply. "It was me."

"Really now?" Toshiro gazed back at Kola. "Now then, my dear Kola, I hope you will take responsibility for claiming the virginity of my granddaughter?"

"I promise! I will marry her, get a job, build a house, plant a tree, and have a son!"

"Now that's more like it," Toshiro patted his shoulder. "Well then, I should notify Akiko and Janusz."

"Janusz? Sounds awfully Leh…" Katie said.

"Well, Aya probably didn't tell you about her heritage. So, Yoshika is a Fusojin, and I'm half-Fusojin and Karlslander, therefore, Akiko, Aya's mother and my daughter, is 3/4th Fusojin and 1/4th Karlslander. She married Janusz, watch out, 1/4th Karlslander, 1/4th Leh, and half-Ostmarkian."

"Jesus Almighty…"

"Heh, sending gift cards is a bi…bother," Aya corrected herself.

"Aya, did you just hold back? Come on! Speak your mind!"

"I might be a bit at fault here…" Ellie said quietly. "You see, I really hate when people swear, so…"

"Ah, if it's company policy here, so to speak, then I'm not interfering. Good Aya."

"Heheh…" Aya giggled.

"So, Kola, what's your magic?" Toshiro asked suddenly.

"How do you know?!" Kola exclaimed shocked.

"My familiar detected yours, simple."

"Mind Control," Kola said with a straight face.

"So you can make jelly out of Neuroi's… _minds_?"

"It only works on people, one of the reasons my ancestors were killed."

"I see… A bit problematic… But whatever now. So, I'll be staying till the end of the month then. Bunk for me where?"

"We do have a whole bed free in the girls' bedroom…"

"Sold. Aya, lead me there."

"Okay!"

"Wait a second!" Ellie protested. "You want to sleep with the girls?!"

"If you're proposing…?" Toshiro smiled slyly.

"Oh…" Ellie blushed. "I mean, you know…"

"When it comes to changing clothes, I can leave."

"Please, ma'am, let Grandpa sleep with us! He won't touch anybody, especially not with Alissa around!"

"I suppose Alissa will be a good chaperone for him. Okay, you can go, Toshiro," Ellie smiled uncertainly.

"Thanks, Ellie," Toshiro said and went out of the room.

"Whaaaat a charmer…" Ellie sighed.

"You can say that again, sister…" Katie joined into the sighing.

"And he's nice…" Tatiana mumbled.

 **Corridor**

Aya was humming some catchy tune and almost prancing while walking before Toshiro.

"My, you sure are content that I'm here, Aya."

"Of course, Grandpa! You're the bestest grandfather ever!"

"Heh, I beg to differ… So, where's that bedroom?"

"Here!" Aya pointed the door on their side and opened it. "Come in, the rest is training."

Toshiro entered the room, looked around, and said, "Not bad, Aya. For a commie barrack it's rather cozy."

"Heh. So the bunks are occupied as follows…" Aya said and enumerated.

"Got it. I'm taking the bunk over Kye."

"Keep your enemies close, hmm?" Aya asked with a cutesy smile.

"Damn straight…" Toshiro mumbled.

"After the simulation in her world, I really have a better understanding of you and Alissa."

"Ugh, could you call her Kye?"

"Okay…" Aya pouted.

Toshiro jumped onto his bunk, and patted the spot beside him. Aya jumped over and hugged him.

"So… How did you get "repaired"?" Toshiro asked.

"Oh, that happened when…"

* * *

After a few minutes of uninterrupted storytelling, Aya asked, "You like the new-old me, Grandpa?"

"I loved the _old_ you during the simulation, and up to the _accident_ , but I love the new you even more, Aya. Now you're even more talkative, and your tongue seems to be sharper. I like."

"Heehee… Thanks, Grandpa…"

"Didn't I tell you at the end of the sim that you can call me Toshiro?"

"But that was almost forty years ago, heehee…"

"Yeah, somehow, heh… Oh, Aya…" Toshiro sighed. "You're really radiating now. And you finally had sex."

"Graaandpaaaa!" Aya started pummeling him on the chest with the strength of a newborn.

"Okay, okay! I'll stop! Say, lead me to the rest."

"Sure! Come on!"

Toshiro followed Aya into the gym, where almost immediately, he heard the battle cry of two girls.

"COUSIN!"

 _"_ _Ho boy…"_

 _"_ _Open wide, smile."_

Toshiro spread his arms, and Nami together with Elsa hung over him.

"Ugh, my dear cousins! Clingy as always!" Toshiro laughed.

"Of course!" Elsa cheered.

"Without a good hug, the greeting isn't complete!" Nami mused.

Toshiro saw that Shinobu was looking at him with reverence, so he winked towards her. She immediately turned around while embracing herself.

 _"_ _Yuuuuuup… She's hopeless…"_

"Now, now, Toshiro is here, so I guess I have to pack," Alissa's voice came from the side.

Toshiro turned around his head, "And hello there, _Alissa_. How nice to meet you again," he said with a caustic tone. "Nah, stay! There's always _fun_ with you around!"

"If you're inviting, then I'll accept," Alissa smiled wryly.

 _"_ _Ugh… Why are you doing me this, Kye…?"_

"Oh, Cousin, how long will you be staying?" Nami asked.

"Until the end of the month at least."

"Wooooaaaaaaaah! So much time with my cousin! You hear that, Elsa?!"

"Yeah! Woooo!" the Karlslander blared.

"Oh, really? You'll be staying, Mr. Toshiro?" Marie asked.

"Sure will, Marie. My mission is related with some recent happenings here."

"You mean the whole KGB hubbub?" Elizabeth asked with a sour face.

"So y'all know?" Toshiro asked surprised.

All the girls nodded without exception.

"What an open minded group…"

The speaker on the wall suddenly sounded with Ellie's voice, "Err... I have an utmost emergency… Two HD-5's are heading directly for our base."

"Two?!" Shinobu woke up from her love-induced trance.

"Heheheheheh…" Toshiro laughed creepily. "Aya, let's go."

"But Grandpa…"

"Let's go I told you. You'll be surprised by how I can still fight. And anyway, Aya, don't you believe in yourself? Two HD-5's for you now are a _kinderspiel_!"

"Oh… Yeeees…" Aya smirked devilishly. "Now that you mention it… Let's go, Grandpa!"

"Time dilution race to the hangar?" Toshiro asked with a wicked smile.

"Of course!" Aya cheered and the two disappeared.

"What just happened?" Angela asked.

"This happened that Toshiro is back in business," Alissa answered.

"But how can he fight at this age?" Sieglinde asked.

"That man has a few secrets that he won't tell anybody. And you're all better off not asking, even taking into account respect to your superiors and elders."

"Oh, I have a question!" Giulietta raised her hand.

"What is it, Giulietta?"

"What's his rank? I couldn't recognize it off his epaulettes."

"Bundesmarschall. He is the only five star general in active service in the whole NATO."

 **Hangar**

"Ha, I won!" Aya cheered. "Grandpa, are you sure you didn't dive?"

"Noooooo…" Toshiro said and whistled a false tune.

"Heehee… Oh, Grandpa? You have a Striker like mine?"

"Both were made by me anyway. My Striker is the previous iteration of yours, but I managed to backport some of the upgrades that are in yours, so we're not apart in terms of performance."

"Wooooh… So we'll go so blindingly fast together?!"

"Ahyup!"

"Heehee, so cool! Oh, is that your weapon?"

"Yeah, but I think I won't use it," Toshiro smiled. "There's also something else in the box, but that I won't use either."

"So…"

"I'm gonna use my sword, Aya. You don't need a firearm either sweetie."

"Oh right… Right! We rocked ass in the simulation! Two HD-5's will be like a walk in the park! But wait, really, Grandpa, are you fit for it?"

"I'll be okay."

"Really, really okay?"

"Really to the fifteenth power okay," Toshiro smiled. "Let's go."

"Kay!"

Both jumped into their Strikers and put on the control panels. They turned on the engines, and Toshiro said, "Remember, Aya, it's not a flight suit anymore."

"Right, thanks for the reminder!"

"Onwards!"

They rushed forward, and just after lifting off, two sonic booms swept the snow around them violently. After only a minute, they saw the enemies.

"My, those fuckers sure look uglier live," Toshiro said. "But we won't have to look at them for longer than necessary, right, Aya?"

"Oh, maybe we should play around with them, Grandpa? They seem to be in a playful mood," Aya grinned and then a beam plinked off her shield. "See, they're inviting us already!"

"Ah, so be it! Let our swords play with them for a while."

Aya moved her hand to the side, and Hikarimaru appeared in it. Toshiro waited a few seconds, and Aya asked, "Grandpa?"

"Hmm?"

"Why aren't you pulling out Aganaimaru?"

"Aganaimaru is on the backburner right now," he grinned and raised his hand above his head.

A bastard sword with a one-and-a-half meter long and twenty centimeters wide blade appeared above his head. The blade was mostly black as the depths of the universe, but a four-centimeter wide strip around the edges was translucent, as if made from the purest glass. The handguard was a simple piece of black metal, and the grip was wrapped with black silk.

"Oblivion Lost… But Grandpa? Isn't this dangerous?"

"No, Aya. This is the swords normal state, so I'm safe, just as you using Hikarimaru. Now, let's make some noise!"

They both focused on one target each. Toshiro started cutting off the guns, but Aya focused on carving shapes in the hull.

"Grandpa! That simulation helped me operate in high speeds!" Aya shouted.

"Now would you look at that! So, some more fun, or should we rip 'em apart?"

"After what I've experience with you those decades ago, this is just boring… Let's do it!"

Both of them flew away considerably far from their targeted Neuroi, and in sync, they pushed the afterburner buttons. Before the boost kicked in, Aya was enveloped in her Overdrive Aura, and Toshiro was now clad in the fiery armor of the Pure Flame of Kōjin. The afterburners kicked in, and they started preparing their devastating attacks, both different. Aya's sword started glowing with a light of growing intensity, but Toshiro dispelled his swords, and his right fist started glowing with a light rivaling the sun shining on them from the cloudless winter sky.

"Zen Reppuzan!"

"Atomzerleger!"

They both shouted with ear bleeding intensity and drove their attacks into respectively the port and starboard of the enemies.

Aya thrust her sword forward, going through the dozens of meters of the hard Neuroi material as well as the core itself like a hot knife through butter, screaming her lungs out ferociously. She shot out of the enemy like a cannon ball, ripping out an enormous, fifty-meter crater amongst a shower of crystalline flakes. Aya twirled her sword and threw it up, dispelling it midair, as the enemy behind her dissolved itself into oblivion.

Toshiro's punch ripped the enemy into shreds before the Coulomb force removing properties of the Atomzerleger even kicked in and the Neuroi simply crumbled into worthless dust, strayed along the sudden wind.

Toshiro took a deep breath while disabling is aura. He looked as Aya did the same and rushed towards him.

 _"_ _Not again…"_

 _"_ _You brought it upon yourself for being such a good gramps, heheh…"_

Aya bumped into him and gave him a big hug.

"Weee! Grandpa, you still have it! That was fun!"

"Well, I see you haven't lost your edge during one hour, hahaha!"

"Heehee… But how can you be so powerful?"

"That's a secret," Toshiro poked her in the nose. "Well, I will tell you, but not now. Right now you have to return to your training my lady."

"Baaaawww, I just battled!"

"Then let's have a hot tea, and then you'll return."

"Oh okay…" Aya sighed.

 **Dining hall**

"I'll make the tea, Grandpa!"

"Eh, it will take too long. I'll show you how your Gramps makes tea!"

"Oh, I haven't seen that one for a long time, heehee… But you don't know where everything is so…"

"I'll just do the obvious," Toshiro winked.

While Aya was rummaging the cupboards for cups and tea, Toshiro took the kettle, filled it with water, and said, "Aya, don't blink."

"Oka… woah, fast!" Aya shouted as the kettle started steaming only a second after Toshiro pulled up his Sacred Flame. "You have to come with the three cooking for supper and show it to them!"

"Bah! Good idea by the way, I see that that noggin ain't going to waste," Toshiro patted her on the head.

Aya poured the water into the cups, and they went to take a seat. While the tea was slowly cooling off, Aya asked, "Grandpa, how is Grandma going to fare while you're gone?"

"Oh, don't worry; I coordinated a _friendly visit_ from Adi and her grandkids."

"Aaaaaaaw! I wanted to see Auntie, Larissa, and Marko…" Aya sulked.

"Don't worry, after the war you'll have enough of them," Toshiro grinned.

"Heh… That's true…"

"Oh, you're back already?" Ellie walked in.

"Yup, done and done, we both capped one," Toshiro grinned yet again. "We've been here for five minutes already."

"Wow… Just wow… I kind of expected that Aya would be a killing machine, now that she's _healed_ , but you take the cake! What's your secret?"

"A secret told is a secret no more," he winked. "You wouldn't believe me anyway. Tea?"

"If you're offering… Woah!" Ellie jumped after Toshiro suddenly presented her with a cup of tea. "Damn time dilution… Good that Aya doesn't use it for giggles."

"Please, ma'am… Grandpa already played all the jokes he could using it…" Aya sighed.

"Except for shagging somebody unaware. I have my principles," Toshiro added trying to sound wise.

Ellie shuddered, but with a straight face she said, "Do you promise you won't try to… _hurt_ my girls?"

"If they don't consent, I won't even try taking a look at their naked bodies. The military regulations sure got stricter…" he sighed.

"If they don't consent?" Ellie raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, if they want the D, I can't stop them. But I doubt anyone beside Shinobu would bone me. I have my years, and despite the fact I did care for my body, I am still aging."

"Shinobu?" Ellie asked confused.

"Ma'am, Shinobu seems to have a crush on Grandpa. And judging by her words, she isn't into innocent puppy love stuff…"

Ellie was now utterly dumbfounded, looking blankly at both of them.

"Don't worry, Ellie, I'll try to talk her down, explain some things. I guess that fact that Aya and Kola are banging is enough?"

"Well… Yes… But I suspect there's some same sex love going on. What's your stance on that?"

"You're asking the man who basically pushed Eila and Sanya towards each other," Toshiro smiled.

"Ah, so when it comes to lesbo sex, you're not against it?"

"As long as they have some decency," Toshiro shrugged.

"Well, more or less in line with my position…"

 _"_ _And as usual, all your conversations go in the direction of sex… Toshiro, I missed it, heheh…"_

 _"_ _I missed it too. The next few days should be fun. I feel thirty years younger already!"_

"Okay Aya, drink your tea, and go back training. Alissa is probably staring a hole in the wall at you."

"Heehee, kay!" Aya cheered and chugged her tea down in one go, and ran away.

"She's so lively now…" Ellie said.

"Once the war is over, she'll be a great scientist, and a perfect mother. Just like her mother, and her grandparents, heh."

"Now that you say it… Yes, I see her as a mother. Hey, imagine the kids! A girl with long blonde hair..."

"I'd rather she was red…" Toshiro mumbled. "Anyway, I'll go for a walk around the base surroundings. Give me a holler when the girls finish bathing after training if I forget myself."

"Sure thing, Toshiro," Ellie smiled. "Actually, you could go to Lebyazhye if you want, the keys are in each car."

"And what would I want to do there?"

"Get drunk I guess…? Nothing more to do there anyway."

"Sorry, but booze is wasted on me."

"Ah right, Aya did say something about immunity to alcohol…"

"Yup. I did try to get drunk once though."

"And?"

"Errr… I chugged down enough to make my bladder burst, went to take a piss, returned, rinse, and repeat three times, and I wasn't even a bit fuzzy.."

"Aaaaand… What were you drinking?"

"Polmos brand Spirytus, the 96% sort."

"Mother of God!"

"Mmmmyeaaah… So, where's your booze? I want to get you drunk and take advantage of you."

"Errr… Are you joking?" Ellie asked uncertainly.

"Of course I am. Right now, I'll be going to my bunk and reading some books."

"Oh, you're a reader?"

"Yup. Right now I'm reading this horror novel by a guy named Stephen King."

"What's it called? Maybe I'll pick it up?"

"Pet Semetary."

"Never heard of it…" Ellie mumbled.

"I can give you it after I've read it."

"Really?" Ellie's eyes sparkled.

"Yup, really. I only have a few dozens of pages left, so if I won't be disturbed, you'll have some bedtime reading material."

"Thanks in advance. I haven't read a good book since… well, long…"

"Heh, anything to help my friends. Till later."

"Yeah, bye."

 _"_ _Friends? Well, that was fast… He sure knows his way around words…"_

 **Few hours later**

 **Showers**

Both Toshiro and Kola were eyeing their naked bodies profusely.

"You may have a younger body, but at least I have one thing I'm better at," Toshiro smiled wryly.

"I won't argue about that, although I'm not that far behind."

"Yeah, yeah…"

After some more verbal jabs, they entered the bath.

"So, Kola, what are your plans towards Aya?"

"Ugh… Pretty much what I told you back then in the office."

"Heh, well, that was a bit vague you know."

"Okay then… Take two. Once I finally get out of this country, I do intend to marry Aya, no doubt about that."

"Names, Kola. Do you intend to change yours, bug Aya about changing hers, whatever?"

"Whatever she says goes."

"I have a proposition. How about Edelweiss-Romanov? Now that would be a name that would open every door!"

"Genius… But now there's the thing about the heat from the KGB…"

"That will be a bit of a problem. But don't worry, all of you will be hidden in such places that the KGB would literally trample over you and still don't know that you're there. Or I'll just kill them myself." Toshiro shrugged.

"I see… With or without Aya?"

"Now this is also a tough question. Aya should continue her education. She probably told you about her dreams, right?"

"Yes, she did. And if it means we will be separated, I will support her fully."

"Good. Now, financial matters. I guess you're pretty much dead broke?"

"Ehhhhhh…" he sighed. "Yes, I only have enough savings to rent a single room in a workers hotel for a month or so."

"You don't have to worry about that. Until you two can stand on your own legs, I'll gladly support you."

"Will you really?" Toshiro heard hope in Kola's voice.

"Yeah, don't worry. I have enough dough to send the next 50 generations to Oxford, and then some."

"Damn… That's generous of you… I really don't know what to say…"

"I already see that you're thanking me with every cell in your body, so I won't bug you, future grandson-in-law."

Suddenly, a splash formed before them, and out of it, Aya emerged, butt naked and teasing with her perfect figure.

"So, are you torturing my poor Kola with something, Grandpa?"

"I just finished, my dear shameless granddaughter. And I assure you, we both are relieved from the talk we had."

"Oh? Well, nice of you," Aya smiled and clung onto Kola's arm.

"Look at you, being so bold," Kola said.

"In the privacy of your own room you can do whatever you like you two, but don't get horny before me, or I'll spank the butts of both of you."

"Will you?" Aya asked.

Toshiro raised his hand, summoned Oblivion Lost, and patted his left hand with its broadside.

"I never used this sword for anything else than combat, but it sure has a good width…"

"Puh, spoilsport," Aya puffed her cheeks and unhanded Kola.

"Now, that's much better," Toshiro said and dispelled his sword. "Now then, I had enough, I'm going reading. That whole _Parsifals Maze_ thing looks interesting, so I'll power through my current book…" he said and left them.

"Did he just…"

"Yes, Grandpa can be stubborn, but he really has a heart of gold. However, you shouldn't be so happy yet. This is a public bath after all; it would be bad to just defile it with lewd acts," Aya said with a moralizing tone.

"Not even a backrub?" Kola smirked.

"A backrub… Hmmm… Have any experience?"

"Nope."

"Then I'll guide you. Go for it."

"With pleasure, my dear mistress…"

 **Dining hall**

 **Suppertime**

"Seriously? You heated up all the pots and pans by your own?" Nami asked.

"Yup," Toshiro replied. "I'll let you save some gas, as pay for staying here," he smiled.

"Before everyone starts pigging out, I have an announcement, but give me a minute," Alissa stood up, and she went out of the room.

"Huh? What's that all bout?" Katie asked.

"I know," Toshiro mused. "But I won't tell."

"Tease…" Katie muttered.

After a minute dead, Alissa returned with a small box in her hands.

"Oberleutnant Aya von Edelweiss, stand up," Alissa said firmly, but with a smile on her face.

"Yes ma'am!" she stood up in attention away from her chair.

"Both I and your Grandfather struck a deal with the Minister of Defense. If you made a recovery, I could promote you. If you couldn't, well, no further promotions. Of course the man didn't believe you would do it, so here, as proof that you managed to recover, I hereby promote you to the rank of Major effective immediately."

Alissa opened the box, revealing a pair of epaulets.

Aya's eyes grew wide, and she said, "But… To the rank of Major? How about Captain first?"

"You're being to humble, Aya. Right now, you're the second most powerful witch in the, watch it, whole wide world."

Aya's eyes grew even wider, as did the eyes of the participants of the supper.

"Come on, Aya, accept it," Toshiro mused. "Your dear grandpapi was also promoted without even sniffing the rank of Hauptmann. Follow me in my footsteps, heheh…" he looked up to the ceiling and added, "Your Hauptmann rank was hanging in the air anyway. You weren't given that rank after arriving here so you wouldn't stand out too much."

"Okay then, if you want… Alissa, I accept."

"Very good," Alissa said and approached her.

She took off the epaulets with two silver pips from Aya's shoulderboards, and fastened on the new ones, with one pip over a pair of silver wings on the bottom.

"Oh, and, Elsa?"

"Yes?!" Elsa shot up.

"Your rank was re-evaluated. You're now an Oberstleutnant."

"Woaaaaah! Thanks!" Elsa ran up to Alissa and hugged her.

While at it, Alissa exchanged her epaulets.

"Hey, everyone, stop gawking, maybe some applause?" Toshiro asked.

The girls started cheering and clapping their hands immediately.

"Ugh, there goes our rank superiority…" Angela muttered.

"Yeah…" Sieglinde said with a sour face.

 **Bedroom**

After supper, Toshiro was lying down on his bunk and reading Ludlum's newest novel.

"Um, Mister Toshiro?" Marie asked him shyly all of a sudden.

"Yes?" he averted his eyes from the book.

"Um… We would like to change into our bed clothes…"

"Say no more, just shout when I can come back."

"Thank you," Marie smiled, and Toshiro slowly strolled out. "Aya, your grandfather is a really nice man."

"I know. But come on, let's change, or he might pull a fast one on us while we're all bra-less."

"You think he could?" Elwyn asked.

"I think he could. But I don't think he will," Aya looked at Alissa, who just winked back covertly.

* * *

"Of course I would, if it was 1944, and you were all the 501st, heheheh…" Toshiro said to himself, while leaning against the door and listening.

"Those were good times, right, Master?" Livy asked him from the side, appearing out of nowhere.

"Sure were, Li…" he looked to the side, and saw that Livy only had a skimpy G-string and laced bra on herself. "Livy… I know you're hotter than the wrath of a thousand suns, but have mercy on my poor old self…"

"I thought I should tease you once in a while, Master," she giggled and clothed herself in her usual outfit. "You're not mad, are you, Master?"

"I'd sure make you take responsibility if I didn't care…" he smiled devilishly.

Slightly baffled, Livy replied, "O-Of course I would comply, M-Master… But how about we call it a day?"

"Heheh… Okay, Livy, good night," Toshiro smiled.

"Good night, Master," Livy bowed slightly, regaining her confidence, and smiling to him brightly before she disappeared.

* * *

After a few minutes, Aya shouted, "Grandpa, come in!"

The door opened after a few seconds, and Toshiro went inside with his hand before his eyes.

"Are you sure? You're not playing me so you can brutally subdue me, tie me, and throw me out into the cold night?"

"Noooo!" Aya laughed. "Oh, and can you switch the lights off?"

"Of course. But first, _I_ have to get dressed."

"Eeeeeh… So, should _we_ exit the room now?" Nami asked.

"I don't mind!" Shinobu shouted while breathing hard.

"I'll show you a magic trick," Toshiro said and took his blanket. "Now I'm dressed," he said, put up the blanket, diluted time, looked at Kye gawking at him with a sly smile, sighed, dressed himself, and grabbed the blanket again. "Tadaaaa!"

"Wooo, more!" Elwyn cheered.

"Awwww, bother…" Shinobu muttered. "But still, nice view…"

"Can it, Shinobu," Alissa said. "I wish you all a good night. Tomorrow, there will be… three surprises I guess."

"Three?" Toshiro asked. "Care to enlighten me?" he asked.

"In due time. Good night, ladies, Toshiro."

"Good night!" the girls mused in sync and started making themselves comfortable in their bunks.

Toshiro walked over to the light switches, and waited.

"Everyone ready?" he asked.

"Oh, wait!" Elwyn said and pulled off her glasses. "Okay!"

"Good night ladies."

"Good night!" the girls cheered and the lights went off.

Toshiro jumped up to his bunk and waited. Fifteen minutes later, he felt Aya zip by using time dilution.

"Ehhh…" he sighed.

"Don't be a hypocrite now, Toshiro," Kye whispered. "You humped with Yoshika almost daily, so you should cut your own granddaughter some slack."

"I guess so… But it's a bit painful to see your dear Sugar Puff going to take it in with a guy I just met today."

"Memories from your two daughters, huh?"

"You perfectly know what was going on in our home when Akiko confessed she had sex. Whew… I sure got steamy then…"

"Heheheh… Wait a few minutes, you'll see and hear something even better."

Toshiro waited, and when he saw movement, he enhanced his vision. He saw that Sieglinde swiftly jumped off her bunk, ran over two bunks further, and jumped onto the one occupied with Giulietta.

"Wait, don't tell me…"

"You're jumping to conclusions, but yes, you're expectations are right."

"Hoooo boy…"

"You're so desperate to see two young girls with hot bodies grind themselves almost directly before you?"

"Yes," he replied with a straight face.

"As expected," Kye sighed. "Just go to sleep. Nobody will relieve that boner of yours, and I still know that you're against whacking it off."

"I could ask Shinobu…" he mused.

"Sleep I said."

"Watch your tongue, Miss Three Star."

"Yeah, yeah, flap your dick around that rank of yours."

"Ugh… Seriously, why did I even let you stay in my world in the first place…? At least be useful and give me some earplugs."

"Why don't you just make them yourself, huh?"

"I'm being lazy," he shrugged.

"Hand," she sighed.

Toshiro lowered his hand, and Kye gave him a pair of earplugs.

"Thanks…" he mumbled. "Oh the humanity… But it resembles good old times so much," Toshiro smiled, put the earplugs in his ears, and closed his eyes.

 ** _"_** ** _Ah, wait a second…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Want to know the surprises? Two you know of."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Both the guns in my container?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Bingo. The third one you have in the back of your head. But don't bother, I'll just tell you. I want to show the rest how powerful the three of us are. A sort of mock duel, but ended with a draw."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh do tell me the details, Kyelissa."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Well, then, T-man…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Hurrr…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Heehee… I'll tell you the details tomorrow."_**

 ** _"_** ** _And you are doing this exactly why?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _To pump your ego, and boosts Aya's confidence, and… Well, you'll see. But I will only tell you that you'll have big influence on Aya tomorrow."_**

 ** _"_** ** _The Cryptic Ass Kye Returns, now in theathers!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I would watch that movie, hahaha!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh and… Did you really have to promote Elsa?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _What, should those epaulets go to waste? Think like a True Soldier of Karsland! Efficiency_** **über alles** ** _!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Ha, haven't heard that shtick for a long time! Okay then, I won't protest. Poor girl deserves to be even ranked."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Night, Toshiro._**

 ** _"_** ** _Night Kye. Sometimes I even like you."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh how merciful…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _And that sometimes just ended."_**

Kye swiftly jumped on his bunk, and straddled on him.

"Well then…" Toshiro muttered. "I have an idea why you're doing this, but is that still valid?"

"I still honor a promise made over fourteen billion years ago, I can't go back on a bet I made less than four decades ago, can I?"

"Well, but I can forfeit my prize. And poof, I just did it."

"I guess you want some kind of reserve favor instead, huh?"

"Heh…"

"But seriously, you don't have to get cold feet, you won't face any repercussions from anybody, I guarantee that."

"If you insist on finishing the matter now…" he sighed.

"I do…" Kye said and slowly lowered her head towards his lips.

It took them half a minute, but they finally stopped.

"Satisfied?" Alissa asked.

"Meh, I think I kissed somebody like that already, but I can't recall the face…" Toshiro pondered.

"Eh…" she sighed. "Night, spoilsport…"

"Night…"

* * *

 **To recap:**

 **Kye is a nigh omnipotent entity that likes to meddle with Toshiro's life. She could just kill off every Neuroi in every plane of existence just like that, but why bother because reasons, right?**

 **Oblivion Lost is the weapon form of Livy, also a nigh omnipotent entity, helping Toshiro because of his past.** **Why doesn't she kill the Neuroi instead? Look above.**

 **And Toshiro's rank is pure fiction.**

 **Also, a clarification – whenever Alissa is alone with Toshiro or Livy, she's referred to as Kye.**

 **Oh, and about the Overdrive Aura - Aya learned it in LW3. It boosts her power by around 250%.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	34. Chapter 34 – Toshiro being Toshiro

Chapter 34 – Toshiro being Toshiro

* * *

 **Bedroom**

 **January 24, 1983**

 **0720 MSK**

Toshiro woke up, pulled out the earplugs, and slowly looked around the room.

 _"_ _Aya's still missing, and the two are sleeping together… I guess I'll wake them up, heheh… They do have kitchen duty from what I've heard during supper."_

"Just don't do anything funny," Kye whispered.

"You sure like being a damn buzzkill, Kye…" he sighed and dropped down to the floor.

While walking towards the bed with the two one-night lovers, he saw that Angela shot him a smirk. He winked towards her, and finally approached his destination. After looking at the two sleeping together in a light embrace, he whispered above their heads, "Hey lovebirds, time to wake up."

Giulietta was just mumbling something, but Sieglinde opened her eyes and rapidly shoved Toshiro with both of her hands. Caught off guard, he fell on the floor without a word of protest.

"Ouch…" he muttered with a sour face.

Sieglinde peered over the edge of the top bunk and asked, "E-Everything okaaaay, Herr von Edelweiss?"

 _"_ _Yuki?"_

 _"_ _You know that a shit fall like that can't hurt you, you old oaf."_

 _"_ _Ehhh… Absolutely no fucking compassion from you…"_

"Everything cool, I'm just lying down on the cold floor because my back hurts."

"Sorry… But you surprised me… Not everyday is a man waking me up…" Sieglinde mumbled off with her face almost glowing from shame.

"Yeah, I had it coming," Toshiro said and stood up. "So anyway, how was last night?" he asked smiling wryly.

"W-What are y-you implying?" Sieglinde started panicking.

"Come on, you two slept with each other, and I bet you didn't just do it to fend off the Boogieman."

"Ugh… Yes… Things happened…"

"See? Was it so hard to admit? And please, call me Toshiro if you want. I really don't know why I didn't forward that notion yesterday at supper…"

"Sure, I will," Sieglinde smiled slightly. "Oh damn! Giulietta, wake up you lazy slob! We have kitchen duty!" she shouted while shaking her the Romagnan.

"Waaah… Really?"

"Really!"

"Okaaaaaaay…" she mumbled and opened her eyes. "Oh? Aya's Grandpa? Sorry, but I'm gay," Giulietta said straightforwardly.

"You sure jumped the gun with that one. But at least your love for tits is somewhat excused, heheh…"

"Heehee… Oh… Um… Can you leave us for a bit? You know, we have to change…"

"Baaaaawww… You won't expose that exquisite rack of yours for me? I'm a doctor you know."

"You have a doctorate, you damn perv," Alissa said from her bed.

"Heh, sorry, but right now the only thing I can do is this," Giulietta straightened out and pulled down her t-shirt so her breasts were wrapped around tightly.

"Hoooooly shit. That's quality boobage!"

"Hey, what about me!" Sieglinde pushed her chest forward.

"Well, yours is also nice, but your body has better overall qualities."

"Oh… Thanks…" Sieglinde blushed. "B-But, could you already…"

"Kay, going."

Toshiro wandered out of the room and leaned back against the wall in the dark corridor. He made himself a Rubik's cube, and started solving it. After a few seconds, he saw Aya approaching him, and freezing in place once she probably recognized him.

"Jiiiiiiii…"

Aya sighed and walked up to Toshiro, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Morning, Grandpa."

"And a good morning to you. First Sieglinde and Giulietta, now you. And I won't be getting any action soon I think…" Toshiro sighed.

"They finally did it? Good for them I suppose," Aya smiled. "And sorry for looking like a prodigal granddaughter, but this is all new to me…"

"Nah, you have to get acquainted with your body in a new way, that's all. You'll get used to, and eventually get bored from sex."

"Bored from sex? I don't think that's even possible… I mean, it's so fun! And reinvigorating!"

"Sure is, but you'll see. Am I right, Katie?"

Aya turned around violently and looked at Katie walking towards them.

"How can I know, to be honest? I only had sex a few times in odd intervals," Katie shrugged. "And you were sleeping with Kola again?"

"Uh… Yeah…" Aya scratched her head. "I can stop if you wish so…"

"Nah, don't worry. As long as you won't get pregnant, I won't say anything."

"Me neither," Toshiro smiled.

"So, where are my kitchen hands?" Katie looked at the door to the bedroom.

"Recovering after a ravishing night together," he smirked. "But don't worry, they're coming."

"Uuuugh… Sex everywhere… Say, want a morning coffee to wake you up?"

"Yeah, that would be nice. But are you sure you want me to parade in my boxer shorts?"

"Riiiight… Get dressed, and you'll get a Katie Special!"

"I wonder if it compares with the Sanya or Yoshika special… Hmmm…"

As Toshiro pondered, the door opened, and Sieglinde came out with Giulietta closely following her behind.

"Ah, there you are," Katie said. "Let's go you two. I hope I'll see you too in a few minutes, Toshiro?"

"Yeah, give me a bit to get myself into shape. Come on, Aya; don't stand there like Kola's dick when he sees you naked."

"Oh Grandpa…" she sighed while shaking her head and went inside.

Toshiro went after her, and after he got speed dressed, Shinobu approached him and asked, "Ummm… Can we talk in private, Toshiro- _sama_?"

"We can. Just don't take too long, because Katie is making me some special blend of coffee."

"Yes, I'll be brief."

 _"_ _A quickie before the breakfast? Count me in!"_

 _"_ _Hopeless…"_

Shinobu led him to the first room of the bathroom.

"So, what do you want, Shinobu?"

"It's… I want to come clear with something…"

"Fire away, talking is free."

Clutching her hands together and shivering on her whole body, Shinobu whispered, "I love you…"

"That I know, Shinobu."

Her hands shot forwards, and as she grabbed hold of his hands, she shouted, "I want to bear your child!"

"That I only assumed. I guess somebody needs to smack some sense into you," Toshiro said with a cold voice, making Shinobu uneasy. "Shinobu, I know that your feelings are probably genuine, but no can do. I'm a married man in his mid-fifties, with a respectable and established social position. How would it look like if I had an affair with a seventeen year old First Lieutenant?"

"But nobody has to know! I can keep my mouth shut! And it doesn't have to be a baby, I just want to…"

"Ssshhh…" he said after placing his index finger on her rosy lips. "I know that you want to. Many girls in your age want to do it. I'll tell you more – Yoshika allowed me to do you if you wanted to."

He watched as her eyes went big, and he continued, "Sadly, I don't feel anything for you. Sure, you are the granddaughter of one of my best friends, you're one of my granddaughters' best friends, but looking at you I only see a beautiful girl that has misplaced her affection."

Shinobu jumped back, and grabbed the edged of her panties and t-shirt and said, "Then I'll show you that I'm a woman!"

"I don't want to see your naked body that badly, Shinobu. I already saw your Grandma's, and I perused it on many occasions, but those were different times. If you try to strip anyway, I'll prevent it."

Shinobu finally cracked and tears started showing in her almond shaped eyes. Toshiro approached her and embraced her tenderly with both arms.

"There are over billion other men out there for you, Shinobu. Some are surely more handsome then me, and most are younger. You may not know or feel it yet, but having a proper family is something everyone should experience. I can't give you that."

"Then… Then… At least a kiss…"

"Now that's reasonable of you, Shinobu," Toshiro smiled. "But it will be a special kiss."

"Special?"

"All your worries will go away afterwards."

"Then… I want it…" Shinobu said with a voice full of longing and raised her head.

Toshiro lowered his lips, and they kissed. A feeling of intense but pleasant warmth filled Shinobu's body and mind. When she finally had enough, she asked, "What was that, Toshiro?"

"You dropped the honorific? Bawww…"

"I just figured you're annoyed by it anyway…"

"Yeah, I was. That my dear was the Sacred Flames power of purifying. It can calm the unsettled emotions, but only if it's desired by the ones to be affected. I guess my reasoning hit you, either consciously or unconsciously."

"Hmmm…" Shinobu smiled.

"Really now, you'd be wasted on an old geezer like me, hahaha! Look around the guys in the FSDF, maybe you'll find another guy named Toshiro?"

"Hahaha!" Shinobu performed the trademark Sakamoto laugh with ease. "That would be something! Oooooh, I'm so damn envious of Aya! She's got a hunk drilling her each night now!"

"If you want any tips on lovemaking or men in general, just ask your grandmother, or her friends. And don't be shy of your mother, she did give birth to you after all. But the biggest shrine of sexual knowledge would probably be my Yoshika."

"Hmmm… When things settle down, I'll be sure to educate myself in the arcane arts of lovemaking…" Shinobu pondered while scratching her chin.

"Now, come on, or the girls will be suspicious of something."

"Sure, thanks for everything, Toshiro!" Shinobu grinned and shot out through the door.

 _"_ _Another poor soul saved… You still have it in you, Toshiro!"_

 _"_ _What kind of miracle happened that you didn't bend her over?"_

 _"_ _She really didn't attract me, don't know… KYE!"_

 ** _"_** ** _You rang?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Did you perhaps put a damper on my libido just now?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I really don't know what you're talking about…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Are you sure?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Absolutely sure. You didn't bang her out of your own will. Seriously, if you want to drill one of the girls, just go and do it! I won't interfere! I'm playing it straight, just as promised back a few years ago."_**

 ** _"_** ** _You know I don't have the possibility to prove if you're lying or not… Ehhh…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Ask Livy."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Surprisingly good idea. Livy!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yes, Master?"_** Livy chimed in.

 ** _"_** ** _What she said."_**

 ** _"_** ** _That's the truth, Master. She didn't abuse her godly powers while in your world in any way possible."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Thanks Livy."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Always there to serve you, Master Toshiro."_**

 ** _"_** ** _And?"_** Kye asked.

 ** _"_** ** _Sorry, Kye…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Good boy. If you're really that horny, I can always throw you Toshiko. In her eighteen year old self, heheheh…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Save that one for later, kay?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Aye aye!"_**

 _"_ _Now about that coffee…"_

 **Bedroom**

Shinobu waltzed into the bedroom as if she walked into her own room. The only thing missing was her starting to whistle.

"Hey, Shino, you're sure all _genki_ after talking to Cousin, what happened?" Nami asked.

"Well… We cleared an issue that was lingering around all the time…" Shinobu mused while swaying back and forth on her feet.

"I think I know what you're talking about…" Nami paused while her mouth started opening wide. "Shiiiino! I hope you didn't do what I think you did?!"

"Sssshhhh! It was close…" Shinobu whispered. "But he talked me down so smooth that I don't even bother with him being around."

"Really? That's sure nice… And you didn't want to murder me for calling you by your pet name, heehee…"

"Now that you say it…" she furled her eyebrow, making Nami anxious. "Nah, you're getting a one off pass now."

"Eheheh…"

"Hey, did you clear up your love woes with Grandpa?" Aya budged in between the two suddenly.

"How do you know what I talked about with him?" Shinobu asked.

"What else could you talk about with him in privacy, eh?"

"Okay, I admit, I did. Everything went better than expected, and in accordance with universal moral code."

"Weeee, how nice!" Aya started patting the Fusojin on the back. "So, have anyone in your love scope now?"

"Oh come on! I haven't laid an eye on anyone beside him for years!"

"Heh…"

Aya returned to her bunk, and then Angela said, "Wish you were here last night…"

"You mean… Sigi and Giulietta? Why should I bother listening to those two plowing their cornfields with their fingers, when I had Kola and his monster cock to rip me in half?"

"Ugh… Yeah, rub it in…" Angela mumbled and looked at the fingers of her right hand. "I caved in…"

"You mean you…"

"Uhuh…" Angela's face got red. "To the two going on…"

"I won't judge you, Angela," Aya smiled.

"I knew you wouldn't but… geez… this is a whole new level of embarrassing…"

"Hmmm? What's embarrassing…?" Elsa mumbled and wriggled in her bed.

"You sleeping away all the time," Angela rebuked.

"I love you too…" the troublesome Karlslander yawned and turned to the other side.

"If only she acted her intelligence level…"

"That's Elsa for you," Aya shrugged. "Isn't she lovely that way? I mean honestly?"

"Yes, she's adorable," Angela smiled. "Good that she doesn't fuck around in combat at very least."

"Heh… Alissa sure is laid back today," Aya said after looking at the golden haired Karlslander lying on her back, with her hands under her head and waving her right leg bent in half from left to right.

"That can only mean one thing…" Angela paled.

"Somebody will get shafted…" Aya muttered.

 **Dining hall**

"Here ya go! The Katie special!" the Liberian cheered and gave Toshiro a cup of coffee that was more white than black.

Toshiro looked at his cup from all sides and asked, "Now what in everything holy is this?"

"Take a sip and try to guess."

"Okay then… I guess Eila's mishap from Britannia can't happen twice in one life…" Toshiro muttered quietly.

"Hmm?" Katie tilted her head.

"Nothing," Toshiro smiled and took a sip. "Heeey, this is familiar… This is the Yoshika Cinnamon Tonguegasm Special!"

"I knew you would recognize it. My Grandma lifted this recipe from your dear wife during the '48 reunion," Katie smiled wryly.

"Damn Twins… Well, I must say I'm pleasantly surprised. Good job, Katie."

"Pshaw, twas' nothing for me. How's my cooking by the way?"

"I can't say a bad word. It has that specific, home-cooked feeling."

That was too much even for the coy Katie, as she blushed slightly and said, "Well… Thanks… I can't cook shit for a guy like you, can I?"

"Ah right, I have a little anecdote for you."

"Yes?"

"Kaaaaatie! What the hell are we supposed to do?!" Sieglinde yelled from the kitchen.

"Gimmie a minute, okay?"

"Yeah…" Sieglinde moaned.

"So, what is it?" Katie asked.

"Have you heard how Eila almost gave Sanya a heart attack with only one cup of coffee?"

"Nooo… I believe not…"

"One day, Eila probably had her brain disconnected, because she dumped so much various stuff into Sanya's mug, that the result could be used as grease for ball bearings or as hypotension medicine."

"Say whaaat?"

"It literally had the consistence of freshly made tar. But thankfully Sanya just got the jitters."

"My… Hey, you're saying that in connection with my coffee, right?"

"Well, I was expecting the worst…" Toshiro mused.

"Oh you!" Katie gave bumped her fist against his arm.

"Works every time, heheh…"

"KATIE!" Sieglinde yelled so loud that the dust started falling off the ceiling.

"Coming, coming… Jesus H. Christ Almighty, and I'm supposed to be her damn XO… What will you be doing now?"

"I might just help you with the cooking…"

"You're shitting me…"

"Nope. Yoshika and I take turns at cooking, and nobody died yet," he grinned.

"Come on then! I'll be cooking with a legend! Woo!" Katie pumped her fist in the air.

 **A bit later**

"Hey, Grandpa, where are yooouuuu?" Aya mused from between the group for witches.

"Here!"

"Here where?!"

Toshiro appeared at the kitchen counter, dressed in a hair net and white apron, and said, "Here, damn you."

"Pfhah!" Shinobu burst out suddenly. "Whoops, sorry…"

"Well, that was awfully bipolar of you…" Toshiro grumbled with a sour face.

"What are you doing, Toshiro?" Ellie asked.

"I'm lecturing penguins about the history of Bantustan. Of course I'm cooking!"

"Heehee… Okay, this should be unique…"

"Ellie, please, I'll do everything for my new friends. But I believe I'll also have to cook for dinner, since the two cuties doing night patrols aren't here."

"That sure is thoughtful of you, Toshiro," Alissa said.

"What else can I do here? Train?"

"For example. Speaking of which, after breakfast you and Aya are going with me."

"How about using the magic word?"

"Toshiro, could you please find it in your infinite benevolence to grace me and your dear Granddaughter with your reverend presence?"

The girls around had troubles gagging their laughs, but Toshiro just answered, "Of course, Alissa! I'll be fain to take part in the nonce thou hast prepar'd f'r us"

"I guess those Old Britannian studies you did in your free time finally paid off. I applaud thou, dear sir," Alissa said and bowed.

"Let's eat!" Elsa pled.

"Did somebody say eat?" Katie popped up near Toshiro. "Eat we… shalth?" she said after a few seconds of pondering.

Ellie giggled and said, "Don't try to hard or you'll spoil the air."

"Pfff…"

"Hey, I have the monopoly for fart jokes!" Toshiro protested, making everyone laugh.

 **Bedroom**

"So we'll be training…" Toshiro said while putting on his warm jacket. "What kind of tortures do you have in mind for us?"

"Oh don't worry, Toshiro, this will be both fun and profitable," Alissa's face warped into a wry grimace.

"We're toast, Grandpa…" Aya muttered.

"You say?"

"Yup…"

"Hey, no muttering there, Aya," Alissa said.

"Yes ma'am."

"Let's go you two."

After they went outside, Alissa said, "Both of you will clear the runway. You, Aya, will use Rending Gales. You, Toshiro, will simply melt it all away with your Flame of Kōjin."

"Pure or _standard_?" he asked.

"Whatever works?"

"Uuuuuugh…" Aya moaned.

"Chop chop, Aya. You'll go in opposite directions."

"Yeah… Come on, Grandpa, let's get this over with."

"Meh, I'm game."

They went to their starting positions, and while Aya was slicing away the vast amounts of snow, Toshiro simply ran forward clad in his fiery aura. However, after a few minutes, he was already bored, so he turned on his transponder and said, "And now, a song for all those who are bored dead from shoveling snow.

 **He was just a General and he surely gave a fuck.**

 **He ran along the runway like some stupid fucking jock.**

 **He had to plow the snow like an angry arctic boar,**

 **"** **You ain't gonna rest no more!"**

 **Bother, bother, what a boring chore to do,**

 **Bother, bother, what a boring chore to do,**

 **Bother, bother, what a boring chore to do,**

 **He ain't gonna rest no more!**

Suddenly, Aya started singing a second stanza to the melody of _The Battle Hymn of the Republic._

 **"Is everybody happy?" cried Alissa looking up,**

 **Our Hero feebly answered "Yes," and she briefly cheered him up;**

 **He plowed through the icy winds, without giving a single fuck,**

 **He ain't gonna rest no more!**

 _"_ _That little genius of mine…"_

 _"_ _Yeah, she sure has the smarts of an Edelweiss…"_

* * *

After the runway was clear, they took a breather.

"Okay, Toshiro, you can go read a book, I want to train with Aya alone."

"Suuuuure… I was here just to clear the snow…"

"You wouldn't want to reveal your power level too early, wouldn't you?" Alissa smirked.

"Nah, that and the few tricks I've learned. Book reading it is. Be diligent, Aya."

"Kay, Grandpa!"

When Toshiro was making a way for the main building, Aya asked, "Um, Alissa?"

"Hmm?"

"How strong is Grandpa really now?"

"You'll see later today, Sweetie. For now, we have to train a bit before today's main event. Well, one of two that is."

"And you won't tell me, right?"

"Of course not." Alissa smiled.

"Now I understand Grandpa even more…" Aya sighed.

* * *

Toshiro was reading a book absolutely uninterrupted until Shinobu came in, drenched in sweat after her training. She tried not to bother Toshiro, but her shoes started squeaking on the tiles.

"And who's sneaking around me, hmmm?" he asked while still reading.

"Only me, Toshiro," Shinobu replied flustered.

"I hope you're not here to reconsider, hmmm?"

"No, no, I'm just here for the girls bath supplies."

"Carry on then. Unless you want me to do an inspection of troops in the bath."

"Ha, so you do want to see me naked!" Shinobu said triumphantly.

"You're half naked as it is…" Toshiro eyed Shinobu, who was clad only in shorts that barely stuck out of her axils, and a short top that had only a few centimeters of spare material below her breasts. "The rest I can imagine."

"Oh shut up…" Shinobu mumbled as her cheeks started glowing red.

"Heh, just like Mio…" Toshiro sighed melancholically. "You have it fun, girls. Don't waste the time you spend together. Make strong and fun memories. Despite the Neuroi lingering at the doorstep, I had fun each day I spent with your grandmother, Yoshika, and all my friends…"

"Heehee… Don't worry, Toshiro, I already made some fond memories in this unit, and also in my homeland. I'll have things to tell my grandchildren before the fireplace, hahaha!"

"Proper attitude," Toshiro smiled and returned to reading.

* * *

After a few minutes, he heard movement from the direction of the two night witches, and he peaked over the edge of the book. Tatiana peeked right back at him with a radiant smile.

"Morning, Tatiana."

"Good morning, Toshiro."

"Your friend seems to be a bit more… tired."

"Ah, well, Aina is a narcoleptic, but it seems that her condition has lessened considerably lately."

"Would you look at that…? Bet you want to eat something now?"

"Yes, we always eat a light late-breakfast after getting up."

"Well then, come on, I'll prepare something for you."

"Oh but… Won't that be a bother?"

"I want to be useful here. My rank aside, I can't just mulch off the units supplies without giving anything in return, right?"

"Mmmm, well… That sure is nice of you…" Tatiana mumbled.

"Heh… Get your friend into gear; I'll go to the kitchen already."

"Okay…"

 _"_ _I wanted to kill his granddaughter just yesterday, and now he's making me breakfast? Do people like that really exist, or did Aya kill me and I'm now in some kind of limbo?"_

Tatiana shrugged, and she started shaking Aina gently.

"Hmmmm… Whaaaaa…?"

"Time to wake up, Aina. We'll have breakfast made today."

"Oh? By whoooooooooo…?" she yawned mightily, but when mid-moan Tatiana said, "Toshiro," she stopped with her mouth open. "Ooh?"

"Yes, he volunteered to make us breakfast. I'm as stumped as you, Aina…"

"Heh… I heard from Grandma that he's just like that – friendship beyond awkwardness. If he likes you, he already treats you like best buds with a ten year seniority."

"Well, you don't look a gifted horse in the mouth. Let's get ready for breakfast."

 **Ten minutes later**

Toshiro came out of the kitchen with two plates full of food and two glasses full of orange juice. When he place the plates on the table at which the girls were sitting, they made enormous eyes.

"What?" Toshiro asked curiously.

"We don't even eat half of that for breakfast…" Tatiana answered. "And it looks so yummy…"

"Come on, Tanya, we can eat it!"

"But what about dinner…"

"You'll tell the girls making dinner that you'll be taking a half-portion, simple," Toshiro shrugged. "Now, dig in."

"Thanks!" the two cheered and _dug in_.

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	35. Chapter 35 – The Power of Three

Chapter 35 – The Power of Three

* * *

 **A bit later**

When the girls were finishing, everyone's transponders sounded with the voice of Alissa.

"Everyone, please come to the runway, there will be a little _show_. Ellie, you come too and have some fun. Oh, and Toshiro, you're one of the main actors, so don't be late."

"Do you know what this is all about, Toshiro?" Tatiana asked.

"I have a faint idea, but Alissa is just like that…" he sighed. "I'm going, be sure to finish quickly."

The two nodded in sync, and Toshiro went his way. When he walked outside, he saw that the two were waiting for him just by the door.

"So, how was training, Aya?"

"Good, thanks for asking."

"You seem not fazed by it. Do I sense some Kye grade machinations?"

"Oh, come on, a one-time power restore for the sake of the show," said person replied.

"Whatever you say, Kye…"

"I still don't know what we're going to do…" Aya pouted.

"We're going to have a mock duel," Alissa said. "Toshiro and I agreed that some entertainment is needed."

"So… How far can we go out with our duel?"

"This will be changed dynamically, right, Toshiro?" Alissa winked at him, and at the same time, she heard her in his mind.

 ** _"_** ** _Toshiro, the main objective of this duel is not shits and giggles. We'll be sparring hard, with one thing in mind."_**

Toshiro stopped time around him and replied, **_"Making Aya stronger?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _My, you're fast to learn! She still doesn't have one thing from the simulation that you learned during your training, and one thing she was never trained. The first thing she can re-learn already today, the second will need a bit of training on my side. Are you with me?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yup. Aya needs every ounce of power if something like Xadea will appear."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Exactly. So, follow my instructions, Toshiro. We will draw that power out of her."_**

 ** _"_** ** _How far can I go in… teaching her?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Do restrain yourself. You don't have to show off the prowess of your Celestial Power, or actually, it would be ill advised to do so. The girls might get a wrong impression…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Ah, I understand… Would be really awkward if I suddenly started using Zen, huh?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Heh, I'm still a bit proud of you that you mastered the whole_** **deck** ** _so to speak… Maybe you really should participate in the war actively, huh?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Nah… Livy told me that it would be ill advised… I already won a war so… But do you think I should tell Aya?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _How strong you really are? That's your decision, Toshiro. You know your granddaughter better than her own parents, so… If you want, go for it."_**

"This could be interesting…" Aya pondered. "Oh, and this will be the first actual spar I'll have with you, Grandpa!"

"Yeah, the first real thing. When you were little, I sometimes, heh, _dueled_ with you using sticks."

"And you'd always let me win, _dying_ in such ways that I almost peed myself at one time, hahaha!"

"Good times, good times… Makes you want to be mortal again, huh, Kye?"

"You still have a lot of living _in the flesh_ to catch up to me, Toshiro. But yes, having Aya as my relative would be nice…"

"No," Toshiro said adamantly.

"But Grandpa…" Aya mumbled.

"Don't dwell, Aya…" Alissa smirked. "Toshiro really won't allow modifying the world just like that. And besides, I have enough relatives."

"Ah… Yeah, I kinda understand…" Aya pondered.

"You two…" Toshiro sighed and turned around. "Gods, Kye, did you have to announce your shit while they were bathing?"

"Tough luck," she shrugged. "Let's get back; I don't want you wasting energy on heating you and Aya up."

"Good idea."

After they returned inside, they almost bumped into Kola and Ellie.

"Well hello," Toshiro said.

"We have to talk about some things," Ellie said and glared at Aya.

"W-What things, ma'am…?"

Kola bent down and whispered something to Aya's ear.

"Pipe down on the moans, or she'll personally kick you in the face the next time she wakes up because of it…"

"O…Okay…" she said with her face crimson from embarrassment. "W-Will do…"

"So, now we wait," Alissa said.

They had to wait a few minutes for Tatiana and Aina to join them.

"We cleaned after ourselves, Toshiro. I hope we didn't stall anything?"

"No, the girls are taking a dip, or drying themselves, or cooling down," Toshiro said. "So no worries, we'll be waiting for them now."

After fifteen minutes, the girls started appearing.

"Sorry for taking our time, but we had to cool down after the hot bath, and you caught us pants down anyway." Angela explained. "We'll just get our clothes, okay?"

"Sure," Alissa said.

Three minutes later, they were all standing near the runway. Toshiro, Aya, and Alissa were standing in front of the rest, and Alissa started explaining, "Now, we have a small show prepared for all of you. You all will see a mock duel including us three. It will be a free-for-all, so expect everything."

"Heeeerrrr Gooooott…" Sieglinde opened her eyes wide. "This will be a duel of ages! I doubt something like that ever happened in history!"

"But Herr von Edelweiss…" Angela raised her hand.

"Toshiro. Since everyone is present, I'll say it already – just Toshiro is fine. I'm actually a bit ticked off when people use my titles, honorifics, and whatnot when addressing me, so let's keep at that.

The girls nodded, and Angela continued, "So, Toshiro… Are you sure you want to compete with the two? They're murderous…"

"Who do you think I am? A suicidal maniac? I'll show you what proper training can do to even an old geezer like me, heheheh…"

"Anyway…" Alissa said. "You're all not to move from the spot. This may be a mock duel, but the techniques we use will be as real as it gets. Toshiro, Aya – try not to throw anything in this direction, okay?" Alissa moved her hand in an arc before the girls and the base building.

"Sure," Toshiro said.

"Okay," Aya concurred with a straight face.

"Then let's go. And please, our dear spectators, keep your mouths closed, its cold," she winked.

They walked to the middle of the runway. Toshiro was walking behind the two, and he only had a split second to react when the two turned towards him with their swords summoned. He fired up the Sacred Flame and blocked the two blades with Oblivion Lost, raising it horizontally above his head.

"Good, Grandpa! But how about this?!" Aya shouted and disappeared.

With a timeframe needed for a normal person to blink, Toshiro turned his upper body to the left and summoned Aganaimaru, blocking a vicious blow from the side.

"What?!" Aya shouted surprised.

"I never said I retired Aganaimaru!" Toshiro cackled, and after pushing forward, he used the recoil force to jump back.

Both of them however didn't miss a beat and sent two vertical flying Reppuzans. He stood his ground and made a double backhand parry, sending the attacks in the air.

"You two shits!" Toshiro said joyfully. "Teaming up on an elderly person?!"

"All's fair in love and games, Toshiro!" Alissa replied.

"Oh really?!" Toshiro replied and the Flame of Kōjin appeared on him in its flaming glory.

He jumped forwards towards Alissa with only Oblivion Lost in his right hand, but before he managed to land a blow, a golden glow spilled over her whole body and she parried him off to the right side side. At the same time, Aya exploded in a blue coat of magic and she rushed to exploit Alissa's blind side. Alissa however felt her coming, and she slightly swayed with her upper body, making it possible to swat off Hikarimaru to the side with her bare hand.

"Don't forget about me!" Toshiro exclaimed and his sword glowed orange. "Großer Wärmestrahl!"

The enormous beam of pure heat energy shot across the runway just above the ground level. When it dissipated, Toshiro saw the runway glowing red, and just before him, Alissa lying flat on her back.

"Fuck!" Toshiro shouted. "Aya, nail her!"

"Already there!" Aya called from above as she was diving towards the ground with her sword overflowing from magic.

Alissa sprung to the side just in the last moment, as Aya's sword pierced the concrete with ease. Somehow, there was no explosion, no cracks, nor flying debris, but Aya had to dispel and re-summon her sword.

"I'm not finished yet!" she yelled and a pair of gauntlets, looking as if they're from obsidian appeared on her hands. "If not with a sword, I'll do it with my fists!"

Aya dispelled her sword and rushed forward. Alissa obviously wanted to play along, as her golden aura erupted with a silver glow and she faced Aya with chin held up high.

Toshiro now noticed that the snow started falling, and when Aya threw a right straight, the pressure wave pushed the snow away above and behind Alissa as the latter dodged. Right then, Alissa did a half-crescent counter-clockwise kick with her left leg, but Aya parried it with her left hand and threw Alissa off balance, making her spin around her own axis horizontally in the air. Just when Aya thought she had an opening, Alissa summoned Jouten, stuck it into the pavement vertically and spun around it, kicking Aya in the ribs. The poor Karlslander flew back several meters, but she managed to land on both legs and skid back another few meters.

 ** _"_** ** _Now, now, Kyelein… Did you just hit my dear granddaughter? AIn't that a bit too far?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _We're trying to look it as authentic as possible. And you know she needs some pain to get motivated more."_**

 ** _"_** ** _But that won't stop me from trying to demolish you… Frankly, I'm fucking pissed off at you right now…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Bring it on, boyo!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I just hope you ain't cheating!"_**

Flaming orbs started circling around Toshiro like elementary particles around an atomic core, and gloves like Aya's appeared on his hands, with the letters JOTUN HEIMR written in Elder Futhark glowing flaming red, one per each of his knuckles.

He rushed forward while diluting time ten thousand times.

"Hagane!" he yelled and drove his right knee forward.

Alissa managed to block it with difficulties, but then Toshiro spun around his horizontal axis and Alissa was sent flying.

"Chitan!"

Alissa managed to recover just like Aya.

 ** _"_** ** _And I though you weren't supposed to use it against mortals! Cheater, cheater, booger eater!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You're as mortal as my ass is a bagpipe!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Then let's up the game…"_**

Alissa's aura started throwing rainbow colored sparks like a two short-circuited cables.

"Prepare yourself!"

"Not on my duty!" Aya appeared out of the thin air, clad in a violently flickering orange aura. "Trümmerschlag!"

The sheer amount of force at which the punch stroke Alissa's crossed hands was enough to disturb the falling snow in a fifty meter radius. Alissa was launched into the air once again, this time at an even greater distance. She stopped in place after landing, and said, "Good job, Aya!"

 ** _"_** ** _Toshiro, time to pull out the heavy artillery."_**

 ** _"_** ** _You mean? Heh… Heheheheh…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Let's go!"_**

"But that's not enough!" Alissa shouted and her aura started sparking even more intensely, and in a blinding explosion of magic, it solidified into a rainbow aura enveloping her whole body.

"But Alissaaaaaa! That's blatant cheating! I can't go so far!"

"Your enemies won't give a fuck! You have to use everything you're capable of. Just like your grandfather!"

Aya looked at Toshiro, who smirked, and calmly said, "Just like me…"

He put his right hand forward, clenched his fist, and waved it to the side. A dark explosion engulfed everyone in the radius of fifty meters, and anyone inside that brief dome of energy would swear that they saw the world in inverted colors for a brief moment. Toshiro was now surrounded with a black veil of energy, which paradoxically was emitting a white light, and additionally illuminated by small stars resembling a galaxy.

Aya was looking with a deadpan expression both at Alissa and then at Toshiro.

 ** _"_** ** _Now, Toshiro. Be sure to keep a steady beat."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Right-o!"_**

Alissa rushed at Aya with sword raised, but the black haired witch was pushed back by the sheer energy of the aura Alissa emitted. And then, Toshiro came in rushing forward.

"Kyoukujitsuken – Tayiō Rendan!"

Aya immediately set up the only defense that she could trust right now – her sword.

"Dou!" Toshiro's right open palm shot forward, bouncing off the sword and emitting a faint white halo.

"Tetsu!" he followed up with a straight right fist, with the halo being more intense, and Aya being pushed back a bit.

"Hagane!" Toshiro kicked with a high knee forward.

"Chitan!" he made a 360 degrees clockwise spin with a straight leg.

"Sekiei!" he followed up with a 270-degree front flip drop of his right heel, and just as he landed, he shot up both his arms up. "Ogyouku!"

Aya was launched in the air, and Toshiro zipped towards her, punching her sword with a deadly uppercut, sending her into the air a hundred meters up.

He propelled himself upwards off a small shield, and when he was about the deliver the final blow, the time stopped.

"And now, we interrupt the broadcast," Alissa said.

Toshiro stopped mid-punch and mid-air using his Celestial Power.

"Explain please, Kye."

"I told you that you wouldn't hurt her, and I keep my promise. One factor ensuring that was Hikarimaru being used by her as a defense, which I provoked her to draw. But the second thing was me preventing you from delivering the final blow."

"Hmmm…"

"Let's invite a guest to our conversation, shall we?"

"Is it _her_?"

"Yup."

"Kay… I think I owe her an apology…"

Amongst a gust of cherry blossoms, the perfect Fuso woman appeared, clad in a violet kimono in floral pattern. Her straight, black longhaired looked like the best lacquer, and her golden eyes looked at him with happiness.

"Hi, Toshiro."

"Long time no see, Ami."

"Indeed," Amaterasu smiled.

"So, what's this all about?" Toshiro asked.

"I have to clear up a few things about the Rising Sun Fist style, my dear savior of the world. I taught you the eight basic moves, which you named, and the Taiyou Rendan, the string of moves that you almost executed perfectly. Now, why it was forbidden for you to use it against a mortal I never told you, but since now you're older and… heh, a bit wiser, I'll show you. Kye, visualization please."

"Coming right up, Ami."

In the air, a three dimensional humanoid model appeared, alongside somebody that resembled Toshiro.

"Now, look, Toshiro," Amaterasu said and the animation started playing. "When each and every one of the moves connects to an unprotected body, this happens."

A layer was removed from the model, showing bones and internal organs. His lookalikes's fist flew towards the model, and once it connected, a white shockwave started resonating across the body interior of the model, and a small halo appeared outside.

"The waves are the concentrated energy of the move. The shred any soft tissue, and break bones just like that. Moves one to seven are _blunt_ so to speak, but the last one, Kongouseki, has a _piercing_ effect."

The animation reset itself, and his lookalike drove his left open palm straight through the model. On the cutaway, it was visible that the waves were still present, shattering the insides with one single wave.

"Damn. But Aya is blocking it all off, why bother then? And Hikarimaru won't break from pummeling it anyway."

"The thing is that the Taiyou Rendan is constructed in such a way, that each subsequent blow increases the intensity of the waves of the previous one in a geometric progression."

The visualization changed, and the model now had a sword. A cutaway of the bones was shown, and there was a scale beside it, from green to red. His lookalike started performing moves the Taiyou Rendan, and Amaterasu started explaining further.

"Now, what you see, are bones being stressed by the recoil force of the resulting blows. Most of the energy is being dispersed, but remember that it is a geometrical progression, so something is bound to happen.

The bone stress of the models hands, arms, and shoulder blades was going through green, yellow, and deep orange by the seventh blow.

"If you landed the final blow, Aya's bones would break in the parts where the stress levels would be red. She would need some time to recover, even with her regenerative powers. And even now, she has micro fractures."

"So… Oh shit… I'm actually hurting Aya…" Toshiro said with a pale face.

"She will heal that, Toshiro," Alissa said. "But we have to bring out her Celestial Aura before she starts fighting back."

"I understand. Thanks for the lesson, Ami."

"No problem, Toshiro. You can only blame Kye for hurting Aya,"

"Ami… You know…" Toshiro started, but she silenced him with a well-put finger on his mouth.

"I know, Toshiro… I don't blame you, but you said yourself that you don't blame me, and that there are no hard feelings between the two of us. You're living a happy life without the interference of the gods right now, and by all means, you should continue it, okay?"

"Sure…" Toshiro smiled. "You could visit sometime, I think Livy could arrange something…"

"When the time comes, maybe I'll invite myself to a reunion or something," Amaterasu giggled. "Have fun, my dear former Chosen."

"Bye…" Toshiro said and she disappeared. "So, what now?"

"Now, we piss her off," Kye grinned. "Yes, Toshiro, she's wired like you in that regard, heheh…"

"Somebody had to inherit that trait…" he mumbled. "So what now? Should I just kick her back or something?"

"Yeah, just bounce her back with a kick and we'll be good."

"Kay."

Toshiro prepared his attack, and just as the time flow resumed, he kicked the sword Aya held, making her fly away.

Both of them gracefully fell on the ground, but Aya had to use her sword to keep balance.

"What is it, Aya? Tired already?" Toshiro asked. "And you call yourself my daughter?"

"B-But… Grandpa…"

"I'm disappointed, Aya. You can keep going much longer…" Alissa said flippantly.

"But Grandpa just attacked me so hard…"

"Pish posh. You blocked all of my Strikes! Do you think the enemy will wait for you to recover? Or stop attacking if it sees a white flag? Nope! Now, get into gear!"

"But Grandpa…"

"Don't Grandpa me now! Do you want your comrades to die just because you're weak?! You're not a granddaughter of mine if you think that way!"

"And I wasted my time to train you," Alissa crossed her arms on her chest.

"Heh…" Aya laughed suddenly. "Heheheh… Oooooh… I'm weak?! I'm the second strongest witch in the damn world!" she shouted and she started shooting black sparks. "I'll prove the both of you what I'm capable of!" The veil of dark energy started getting dense around her. "I won't fail my loved ones! I won't fail my peers! I won't fail my friends!"

Aya's looked as if a black hole covered her, but then it exploded and revealed her shrouded with the same type of aura Toshiro had. He in turn started clapping, with Alissa joining him.

"W-What are you doing?! We're sparring!"

"Look at your hands," Alissa smiled.

Aya looked at her hands with distrust, and she almost fell on the ground after seeing them.

"Woah! Woaaaaaah! I did it! Grandpa! Alissa! I did it! The Celestial Aura!"

"Indeed, you did it," Alissa said warmly. "But now, let's end this!"

"No, first I have to see who is the stronger of us two – Grandpa or me!"

"Oh?" Toshiro asked. "Come then!"

Aya spun her sword around and her aura flare up considerably.

"Atto Suto!" she shouted and swung her sword.

A gigantic wave of slightly curved energy flew with supersonic speed toward Toshiro, who however didn't bat an eyelid.

"I haven't been dwindling thumbs in training, Aya!" he yelled and Oblivion Lost fired up with frightening intensity. "Dai Tenkai Reppuzan!"

He flung the sword vertically and an attack of even greater magnitude flew towards Aya's. The two of them connected midair, and when they thought an explosion would occur, Kye yelled, "You forgot about me!"

A rainbow colored attack crashed into their attacks and lifted them up into the air. At an altitude of two kilometers, the three of them exploded in a rainbow-monochromatic explosion.

 **"** **Okay guys, it's enough for today. Good work, both of you."**

Aya sat on the runway from exhaustion, and when Toshiro noticed that, he ran up to her and said, "Need a ride?"

"Heh… Yes, please."

Toshiro took her on his back, and said, "You performed miraculously, Aya. I can only be more proud if you singlehandedly win the war."

"Heehee… Thanks Grandpa… You sure riled me up back then… And was this duel a sham just to bring out my Celestial Aura?"

"Yup."

"You busybodies…" she sighed.

Once they approached the spectators, they could only see mouths agape, eyes opened wide, and sweaty foreheads.

"Nice show, huh?" Alissa asked. "Now, let us bathe in peace."

"That was so fucking intense!" Ellie shouted. "How in God's name is this even possible?!"

"Oh, and I thought you were against swearing?" Toshiro asked.

"Too many emotions! Pardon!"

"Heh… Well, you see, we were trained with methods… a bit unorthodox, right, Alissa?"

"Most certainly," she replied with a smile. "But really, please, let us rest in the bath, and you can _try_ to get some info from us afterward, okay?"

"Okay, you won't be interrupted," Ellie said. "Or it's latrine cleaning for the whole unit."

"Yeah…" the girls mumbled.

/-/

The three went inside first, and Alissa just popped the bath supplies on her hands.

"I'll look the other way…" Toshiro mumbled.

"Heehee…" both Aya and Alissa giggled.

They entered the bath, and Alissa shoed off Toshiro.

"But I've seen her naked from her birth anyway!"

"Getting dressed and undressed is different…" Aya mumbled.

"I think I heard that somewhere, ad nauseam I might add… Okay then."

Toshiro waited for his turn, but the two were waiting naked for him.

"I guess I'm two-to-one on this one, huh?"

"Yup," the two said in sync.

He undressed and took a shower, under the careful gaze of Alissa and Aya.

Afterwards, three submersed themselves in the bath.

"So, Grandpa, how strong _exactly_ are you."

 _"_ _Well then…"_

"I'm stronger than you, let's stop at that."

"Oh come on, Grandpa… Tell me…"

"My base level is even stronger than my powered up level when Kye souped up everyone in the sim."

"No way…" Aya gasped.

"That's true, Aya," Alissa said. "I adjusted myself to his growing power as a custom, but since you were making such astounding progress, you never noticed that the gap between us was widening."

"And when did you start you training, Grandpa? After the Neuroi appeared?"

"Indeed. You see, what I didn't tell you, is that once the Neuroi appeared, I used my connections with Livy to undergo training. Using up some odd days, I underwent training equivalent to fifteen years of _normal_ training with her. My magic never diminished due to the Celestial Power residing in my body, but I did need a refresher course."

"You went dull, Toshiro," Alissa smirked. "But Livy is the best whetstone you can get, heh…"

"Yeah, and I trained hard. Ooooh, I trained hard, that's damn sure… Mind you, in 1946 I still wasn't as strong as you in terms of raw power during that simulation we pulled off. But thanks to those ten years, I went up on the ladder. Hell, I can even _lay_ down Livy as my personal railgun, I can do that with my own two hands now! And if Kye would put me back in time in her world, I wouldn't have to be ashamed," he smirked.

"Indeed, you wouldn't have to. Well, excluding one teensy little detail…"

"Oh?" Aya tilted her head.

"My Celestial Order mastery, Aya," Toshiro smiled. "Finally I can use that word at its full semantic capacity, heheh…"

To underline that, he raised his right hand, and a slew of orbs, varying in colors, began spinning counterclockwise above it.

"So you mean… Grandpa, congratulations!" Aya cheered. "Oh my… That means that the only one that could match you would be…"

"Yoshika from the other world, given she'd master her True Zen."

"She actually did," Alissa nodded.

"Grandpa, then why aren't you fighting?!" Aya shouted. "You could probably singlehandedly win the war!"

"My dear Aya… You don't understand this, do you? I have a godly power, that's true. Yes, I could probably rid the world of the Neuroi. But the days of my glory have ended, and I have to make way for the new generation. Would you be the same Aya if I ended the war earlier, rushing my training?"

"Um… Probably not… But Grandpa, this is still unfair!"

"Toshiro trained just to see how powerful he could be," Alissa explained. "He fulfilled his power fantasy, but now that you're reunited, he _will_ help you directly, but only locally. Right, Toshiro?"

"Indeed, so be it. But I'll still let you young'uns handle most of the dirty work. You need means to evolve, and what good would I do by just clobbering the Neuroi out of existence?"

"I suppose you're right…"

"But I am ready to give my life for my world," Toshiro said suddenly with a gloom voice.

"W-What?" Aya asked surprised.

"If something stronger than Xadea grade appeared, I would go battle it, even if it cost my life. I almost lost my home twice, and if it means that the five billion or so people on Earth would live a peaceful life, I would gladly sacrifice my life…"

"But Grandpa…"

"Toshiro is a blockhead, don't try to change his resolve. I had an impulse to tell him what would happen after he defeated Xadea, but… He would end badly…"

"Do tell?" Toshiro livened up a bit.

"If I told you, that in thirty five years the Neuroi would return, you would go ballistic, taking the role of the lone martyr. You would use your friendship with Livy to such an extent, that one HOUR here would equal a YEAR in the personal dimension she would create for you."

"A year?!" both Aya and Toshiro shouted.

"Yes. Moreover, you would use every free hour you could possibly muster up. You would be consumed by the desire to get stronger and stronger, all for the sake of humanity. You would train relentlessly for hundreds of years in succession, and you would grow in power, yes siree… And of course, thanks to the added benefits, you wouldn't age."

Alissa snapped her fingers and a display appeared in the air, with various bars labeled according to Toshiro's power levels at various times and states. One of the bars was significantly bigger than the others.

"W-What? Is this some kind of trick?" Toshiro asked stupefied.

"No, Toshiro. You, a mortal, would obtain a power hundreds of times of what you wield in your hands now. Xadea? Pfff! You could crush her by just waving your unarmed hand at her! The mortals of Yoshika's world? I wouldn't even let you spar with them. The Sacred Flame, its purified form, – all would be unimportant and discarded by you. You would even discard Yuki, as your magic would be hardwired into your body by then."

"But… I would never do that to that stupid oaf!"

"Under normal circumstances, no, you wouldn't. But Yuki would be a hindrance, since she couldn't be able to cope with your might. Don't worry, she would have her place by Ami's side however. Continuing, wielding Oblivion Lost in its awakened form would be a cinch for you. You would have an almost direct connection to the Allgods power… But…"

"But?"

"You would go insane."

Toshiro and Aya looked terrified at her.

"I'm not shitting you guys. Toshiro would lose his mind somewhere around, oh irony, the appearance of the Neuroi. But you wouldn't see them. On December 12, 1981, you would simply collapse mentally. Nobody, not even all the gods of this world, would be able to heal you, so Livy would simply euthanize you."

"Like a stray dog…" Toshiro whispered. "N-Not even Yoshika?"

"Not even…" Alissa shook her head. "Ah yes, Yoshika! You wouldn't bother visiting her. She would live her life, raising your kids, but it would be an empty life for her."

"My Yoshika… How… How could I even do this…?"

"And you wouldn't lift a finger?" Aya asked.

"No. But remember, everything I do is with a purpose," Alissa winked.

"Yeah… Purpose… You know what? That was so fucking depressing… And I'm fucking alcohol immune, bahahaha!"

Toshiro started laughing like a madman, and Alissa caught Aya's gaze. She nodded towards him, and Aya embraced him tightly. Instead of laughing, Toshiro started crying.

"Alissa, you shouldn't have…"

"But I did. Toshiro has to know that even the most just objective has to be achieved properly. If Toshiro was destined to be the lone hero, I would give him my full support. I personally would train him, as well as Doran and company, my kids, their kids, whoever would be necessary, so that he could even train a millennium, and he would be mentally sane. But in that time line, he wanted to be the one to shoulder the weight of the universe on his mortal shoulders… That couldn't have gone well…"

"So… If I understand correctly… Will _I_ be the one to save the world?" Aya asked.

"Maybe you will, maybe you won't," Alissa winked, but she also sighed and added, "If I could tell the poor Toshiro what's hidden from him…"

"But you won't why exactly?"

"Everything has it's time, Aya. You are born at a set date; you die at a set date."

Suddenly time froze around Aya, and even Toshiro went colorless.

"Toshiro has to wait for the latter, and then all will be clear for him."

"But why?"

"But why, but why… Ehhh… Because he wished it to be so. He wanted to severe his ties with everything godly and supernatural. Do you know how steaming mad, how utterly furious he was when I came to him to explain to him that I will be _residing_ in his world for a few years? If he had the possibility, he would break my neck! But of course he couldn't heehee… Your grandfather, Aya, has a secret. Only the Elder Gods know about it, and Toshiro himself, once he learned about it, he chose not to know about it. Because it would impact his life too much…"

"I see… I didn't even suspect that Grandpa is such a tragic character…"

"Don't worry, he'll die happily in a few decades. His life will be fulfilled, and he will leave you, your mother, and your children and grandchildren with the certitude that he did what he could to make the lives of all around him better. And it will be true," Alissa smiled. "Now, return to hugging him. When he's strong, he's strong. However, when he crumbles, only a strong woman can help him."

"Heh… Okay, Alissa. I'll be that strong woman this time," Aya grinned and embraced her grandfather once again.

* * *

After Toshiro regained his composure, he said, "Thanks, Aya… You're a granddaughter one can only dream of."

"Heehee… Thanks, Grandpa…"

"For that, I'll let you in on a secret!"

"Oh?"

Toshiro wrapped his arm around Aya, and they started levitating.

"Woah! Grandpa, you learned how to fly?!"

"Yup. I could fly by the end of December 1945 already. Livy told me that it's a backup measure, because if I had to use the Celestial Aura in combat, my Striker would fail miserably."

"And why wouldn't the ion Striker fail?" Aya asked curiously.

"It's a _cold_ engine, so it won't overheat, and it also has excess magic vents. It's also simple, despite what you may believe, so there's not much to fail. However, if you would use your Awakened Hikarimaru AND the Celestial Aura, it would probably blow up anyway, vents or not."

"That's why, we have to teach you how to fly, and stabilize your Celestial Aura and the same time," Alissa added.

"So… There will be an enemy that will need such measures of power?"

"Kye probably knows it anyway, but I think that Xadea might had some kind of… spouse… Or direct offspring. And if that's the case, even the Celestial Aura won't be enough for that sucker without awakening your weapon, as I had to do with Xadea."

"I understand. Hmmm… Graaandpa, gimmie a backrub, I'm stiff like a board after that spar…"

"At least not so flat," he snickered, earning a kick in the shin from Alissa. "Hey! What, you want one too?"

"You? Proposing a backrub to me? From you own will?! Now, how can I refuse, ha!"

* * *

 **Amaterasu, the head Shinto deity, chose Toshiro to save the world, which he did, killing the Neuroi Matriarch Xadea, but at the end he severed his ties with all the gods because he wanted to have a normal, peaceful life as a mortal.**

 **The Celestial Aura is an aura shared by Toshiro and Aya, coming from the Allgod Adam's power himself, buffing their power by 300% and enabling the most devastating attacks.**

 **The Atto Suto is Aya's own Reppuzan, enabled by the Celestial Aura, and the Dai Tenkai Reppuzan is Toshiro's ultimate technique from the Reppuzan line, courtest of his Celestial Aura full mastery.**


	36. Chapter 36 – The Light in Hades

Chapter 36 – The Light in Hades

* * *

The three of them walked out of the bath and saw Kola waiting for them near the door.

"Aya, is everything okay?" he asked. "You were the one to take most of the hits."

"Awwww, Kola… How nice of you, heehee… Well, I'm a bit tired right now… But that's it, really."

"How about you come to my room then?" Aya's face flushed red, and Toshiro looked at him curiously. "I mean… If you return directly to your bedroom, the girls will molest you about every intrinsic detail of the duel, and I believe Toshiro and Alissa can act as your spokespersons."

"And you're sure you just don't want an afternoon shag?" Toshiro asked smugly.

"No. I just want to take care of my Aya."

"Gods…" Toshiro sighed. "You're even worse than me... Go now. Unless you don't want it, Aya?"

"No, it's actually… cute…" Aya's blush overcame her skin redness from the bath.

"Well then…" Kola approached Aya and lifted her up into a bridal carry manner. "Let's go."

The surprised Aya could only nod, and Kola walked off with her down the corridor.

"He will be the ideal husband for Aya, Toshiro, don't worry. He's been brought up in a proper manner, with the most influence coming from his mother."

"You didn't have to tell me that, you know…"

"But I did, so stop those gears in your head from turning, and let's go to our _press conference_ , heh…"

"Yeaaaah… But I have a feeling they'll walk out of it being dumber than they were, hahaha!"

Almost immediately after opening the door to the bedroom, they were swarmed by the girls.

"Where's Aya?" Sieglinde asked.

"She's resting with Kola," Toshiro answered with a straight face.

"R-Resting?"

"Not in the way you think," Alissa smiled roguishly. "She's just a bit tired."

"Oh…" Sieglinde blushed slightly and turned her head sideways.

"Okay, question!" Shinobu raised her hand. "What in all gods happened back then? It looked like aliens came down to Earth and had a spar! Or some anime characters!"

"Well…" Toshiro pondered. "Did your grandmothers tell you things about me? Like… about things not of this world?"

The girls pondered a bit, but the almost audible sound of the proverbial gears turning in the girls' heads was interrupted by Shinobu shouting, "I remember!"

"Oh? Do tell." Toshiro smiled.

"Mio told me that you were the champion of the goddess Amaterasu. I always thought of that as some bull… fib..." Shinobu corrected herself swiftly while looking terrified at Ellie. "But looking at what happened just a bit ago…"

As Shinobu was talking, all the eyes were on her, but after her last word, the situation changed and now Toshiro was eyed.

"What can I say…? Mio isn't a person to lie just like that, and you should know it, Shinobu. Yes, I was being guided and trained by Amaterasu, or Ami, as I like to call her, heheh… After the Neuroi decided to return, I have started training again. What's more, Alissa also has some godly connections, and was passing the knowledge onto Aya all these years, and that's why the three of us are so absurdly strong."

 ** _"_** ** _Heehee… Nothing like a good half-truth!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I wonder why Mio didn't tell her about you though?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _She didn't have the occasion. But believe me; my secret is safe without me manipulating anybody."_**

"So, what were all those flashy lights?" Giulietta asked.

"Auras," Alissa answered. "Each witch is capable of something called a Magic Aura that can be further augmented with proper training. But don't get your hopes up yet, ladies… Between all of you, only Shinobu and Sieglinde are capable of learning them by the end of the month."

"We can?!" the two asked in sync and utterly surprised.

"Yes. But sadly, Aya now has the biggest priority. The last aura you saw on her during the duel was just obtained by her, and she needs some training to stabilize it."

"Oh… Okay…" the duo mumbled in accord.

"Oh, but you had different auras, right?" Elwyn asked.

"It's an individual thing," Toshiro said. "Alissa has hers, Aya and I have a common one, since we're from one bloodline, and you, Elwyn, would probably have some speed increasing aura."

"Speed?! WANT! Teach me, master!" Elwyn started shaking Alissa's hand around, which she grabbed beforehand.

"Now, now, stop, cowgirl," Alissa locked her hand and peeled off Elwyn's. "I'm telling you that Aya is on the priority list on top and underlined. I feel you have serious potential, but you're behind Sieglinde and Shinobu, not far though."

"Okay…" Elwyn mumbled and returned to her spot. "Actually, not okay! Why is Aya being trained individually?!"

"Because bringing you into training with Aya would drag her down to your level. You can't help it, Elwyn."

Elwyn sighed and with a resigned look, she resumed her previous activity.

"So what IS the level of Aya?" Katie asked. "Because right now you're making her out as if she's a demi-god."

"She's a prodigy with an enormous genetic potential, and she was trained by me personally for over four years. Right now, the most of you, not calling names, aren't even half of her power level, excluding auras. Sieglinde, thanks to honing her body and diligently following my tips is about a thirty percent weaker than Aya, and from what I can analyze, Shinobu is a hair width behind her, probably thanks to her grandmother and mother hammering her with training."

"That's true," Shinobu said after a few seconds of complete silence from everyone. "Already when I first met Aya, I had the fourth dan in kendo."

"But isn't there a minimal age of thirteen requirement?" Toshiro asked.

"The FIK president himself exempted me from that requirement, so I could train without any hindrances. It's my dream to get to the tenth dan!"

"Nice dream," Toshiro smiled. "But I wonder if you'll be also exempted from the age requirement for that rank."

"Time will tell."

"Good attitude. So everyone, you don't bother Aya and Kola. Start your afternoon chores, training, or whatever now," Alissa commanded. "I believe breakfast should be due soon?"

"We just trained, and dinner is still some time away so…" Katie held her breath. "Lazy time! Everyone dismissed!"

The girls cheered and started planning their free time more or less audibly.

 **Kola's bedroom**

Aya's head was lying on the lap of Kola, who was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"You know… there's a word for what you're doing right now in Fusogo…"

"Hmm?"

" _Hizamakura_ – lap pillow. It feels nice…" Aya sighed from pleasure and wiggled a bit.

"Maybe I should add something to that, hmm?"

"Oh, well…"

Before Aya could finish, Kola started patting her on the side of the head.

"Mmmmmmmhhhhhhhmmm… It feels even better… I feel that the rest of my fatigue is disappearing…"

"I'm happy that you're safe and sound… That duel looked dangerous."

"Yeah, it was I guess… But really, I'm peachy, Kola…"

"Good… Good…" Kola said, and after a brief pause, he continued. "My mom gave me such lap pillows whenever I had a downer…"

"Oh? Really?"

"Yeah… I really miss her… She was the daughter of a real duchess… She deserved a better life… Not to die from a lung disease in a wooden hut in the middle of nowhere…"

Kola's voice was shaking, and Aya saw a tear forming in his right eye. She raised her hand and wiped it off with her finger. Then, she rotated her body slightly and embraced him in the waist.

"Sssh, don't cry, Kola. This may sound wrong and egoistic, but now you have a new woman in your life to look up to…"

After a few second, he replied, "Yes… Yes, you're right… You're the new light that I want to follow through the darkness of life… You will me my guide through Hades… Aya?"

"Yes?" she raised her head.

"Will you marry me?"

Her eyes opened wide, and her mouth followed.

"I know this is sudden but… Wait a second."

Kola moved her to the side, and he jumped off the bed. He rummaged the drawer in his desk, and he pulled out a miniature icon.

"Eerrrr…" Aya who was now sitting on the edge of the bed pondered what to say.

"Look," Kola said and broke the piece of wood with Jesus painted on it.

A small glint fell down on towards the floor, but Kola managed to catch it. Now, he dropped on one knee before her, took her right hand and he slid something on her middle finger.

Aya looked at her hand, and saw a slim golden ring with a centimeter wide diamond sitting atop of it. She felt that the tears started flowing on their own.

"This is the ring of my grandmother, Aya. I want it to be your engagement ring, that I was to either sell if my financial situation got critical, or give it to the woman I love. Will you accept?"

"YES!" Aya shouted and jumped at Kola.

They both fell on the floor, and she peppered him with kisses.

"Of course…! I accept…!"

"I'm so happy… Whew, what a load off my shoulders… Well, now I have a load straddling on my belly, heheh…"

"Heehee… Hey, I have to tell the rest!"

"Go, my fiancé!"

"Weeeheeeee!" Aya cheered and ran out of the room.

She first ran into Ellie's office without even bothering to knock.

"Woah, Aya! Knock first…" Ellie said, but then Aya showed her hand before Ellie's face. "Damn! Did Kola…"

"No way!" Katie shouted. "He proposed?!"

"Yes!" Aya cheered. "Oh, sorry for not knocking! I have to go now!" she shouted and ran to the bedroom.

She entered like a gunman from the wild west entered a saloon.

"Everyone, I have an announcement," she said trying to contain her emotions.

"Hmm?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow and lowered his book.

Aya then raised her hand triumphantly, and by some freak chance, the ring on her finger glinted visibly.

"Mother fucker! Where's the booze here?!" Toshiro shot out of his bunk. "This calls for a damn party!"

"Ayayaaaaaaaaa!" Nami ran up to her cousin and started spinning her around. "Weeeee! Ayaya is getting married!"

The rest immediately swarmed her and started asking one through another, so that Aya thought she landed in a chicken coop.

"Everyone, please, calm down," Aya said calmly. "Nami, put me down."

"Kay!"

Once on her own two legs, Aya said, "Kola was giving me a lap pillow, then the conversation veered off towards his mother, he got sad, I hugged him, and suddenly bam – he drops the bomb! This ring, he had hidden in an icon! It's his grandmothers! It has sentimental, historical, and simple market value going into absurd levels! But he just gave it to me as my engagement ring! Despite the fact that he's poor like a church mouse!" Aya explained with bathed breath.

"Waaaaaaaah!" Sieglinde, with her face in tears suddenly hugged Aya. "My dear Aya will be taken from me! Waaaaah!"

"Oh come on, Sigi… You'll always be the friend of the family, heehee… And I'll make you my bridesmaid!"

"Really?!" Sieglinde snapped out of her sorrowful state.

"Hey, then I want to be a bridesmaid too!" Elsa cheered.

"I want to join in," Angela demanded calmly.

"Whoever of you that can come to my wedding can be my bridesmaid!"

"Woooo!" the girls cheered.

Aya looked towards Toshiro, and she walked up to him.

"Grandpa, I hope you can talk to my parents about this…"

"You can talk to them yourself, pfff…"

"B-But back me up, okay?!"

"Sure, sure… Jeeez, NOW you think about them…" he rolled his eyes.

"Congratulations Aya," Alissa smiled radiantly and patted her on the shoulder.

"Thanks…" she blushed.

The door to the room opened, and Ellie came in, followed by Katie.

"Girls, I hate to be a stick in the mud, but just after you ran out like a madman from my office, Aya, I got a call. We have a mission for the rest of the day."

"We're going out. Far away," Katie added.

"Details?" Aya asked.

"The 789th IFW asked us to assist them. They are fearing that the Ground Alpha Hive _near_ them will launch an attack on them soon."

"A Ground Alpha Hive…" Shinobu whistled. "This is serious. Where are we going?"

"Pripyat, Mizhkraine."

"Anybody know where that is?" Elwyn asked.

"It's near the southern border of Chernarus," Katie said with a smile. "Slightly over a thousand kilometers, half an hour flight without straining ourselves."

"And why are _we_ exactly needed?" Angela asked.

Ellie smiled, and started explaining. "The official reason is that the unit is only five witches and two civilian mechanics, girls by the way, and that Kiev can't spend any manpower on them. Unofficially it's because Katie is from the KGB, and she's to lead you away from a certain spot to the east…" she smirked.

"What would that be?" Aya asked.

"The Duga-3 over-the-horizon radar array, the first radar to pick up the Neuroi back in '81. Everyone knows about the Orussian Woodpecker, but the commies just tend to not notice that and think it's still top secret. But whatever, we need ten people. Aina, Tatiana, Marie – you stay with me and our esteemed guests."

"Roger," the three said.

"There's also another reason, connected to the radar… The Lenin Nuclear Power Plant in Chernobyl powers it. If the radar stops working, shit will fall on the west of the USSR. But what's more important, if the power plant is destroyed, a catastrophic ecological disaster could occur… We wouldn't want that…" Ellie almost whispered the last words.

"Toshiro, I guess you should unveil the mystery of that container you brought with yourself," Alissa whispered into his ear.

"Good idea… And I'll be sure to explain every danger thoroughly," he whispered back with a devilish smile. "Hey, I have some… presents for you gals," Toshiro said out loud. "I'll just run to the hangar and prepare them."

As he disappeared, Ellie said, "Riiiight… So, ladies, get dressed and move out."

"But dinner…" Giulietta mumbled sadly.

"Don't worry, the commander of the unit you're heading too promised me that you'll get dinner." Ellie smiled.

"Wooo! I'm game!" the Romagnan cheered and rushed to her bed to prepare.

"The rest of you take a chip of her block and make haste," Katie said. "We don't want this to turn into a night op, but there's a possibility."

"Roger!" they responded and started moving.

 **Hangar**

Toshiro approached the container he lugged from his home and opened it. He pulled out a futuristic looking assault rifle, a bit similar to Marie's FAMAS, and placed it on the ground, with some thin and long magazines beside it. Then he picked up a gigantic, bolt operated sniper rifle, even bigger than Elizabeth's, with a metal cylinder around the barrel.

"This will be fucking rich…"

Toshiro simply sat on the crate, and waited for the rest with the rifle in his hands, resembling a hunter of a long gone era.

The girls ran inside the hangar, but Nami and Elsa sped up like mad once they noticed what Toshiro was holding.

"Cousin, what's the gun?!" Nami asked.

"What caliber?!" Elsa added.

"Hold on, you two cooks," he sighed. "Let the rest join and listen to me too. By the way, I guess Elizabeth is the marksman in the unit?"

"Uhum," the two nodded.

"Good."

"Aw, Cousin! You're giving that to Liz?" Nami pouted.

"Yeah, unfair…" Elsa mumbled and puffed her cheeks, but she noticed something on the floor. "Oh!" she exclaimed and grabbed the item. "Toshiro, wuzzit?"

He looked, as the rest was close enough, so he said, "That's the fourteenth prototype of the G11. I received it through various connections, heheh… So, the defining point of this rifle are two things – the absurdly fast three-round burst, and the ammunition used," Toshiro picked up a mag and held it up high, revealing the rounds inside.

"Those are bullets?" Elwyn asked. "They sure look weird…" she said after looking at the small orange boxes in the mag.

"These are 4.73x33mm DM11 caseless rounds, made in a joint effort of Heckler & Koch and Dynamit Nobel. The orange thing is the propellant, specially treated denaturated HMX. On the bottom there's a primer, inside is the bullet, and its top off with a plastic cap that stabilizes the round. Think fast!" he shouted and threw the mag to Elwyn. After she caught it, he said, "Note how light it is."

Elwyn weighed it in her hands, and she said, "Hey, it's really light! How much does it weigh?"

"A 45 round mag is only a quarter of a kilogram. That means that a kilogram of mags, four, is 180 rounds. So, who wants a go? And before you jump up, I have to tell you that as a requirement, I demand that it's a backup weapon, not a primary weapon."

"I can try," Elwyn said. "But what about that burst fire?"

"Well, it has a two and a half thousand round per minute fire rate when firing burst."

"What?!"

"Yup. It has a rotary chamber, and thanks to the rounds being caseless, there's no fuss with extracting casings."

"Damn, I'm taking this puppy!"

"Heh… Okay, take this," Toshiro said and threw her a bandolier. "Load it up, but first give me the mag back."

"Kay!" she cheered and threw him the requested item. "You pop the mag over the barrel, like this…" he inserted the mag into a grove over the barrel. "And the cocking lever is here," he pointed a lever on the side. "And this is the mag release. Now, off you go, and now I want Elizabeth."

"Grandpa, have some restraint!" Aya shouted.

"Yup, you're sure my blood, hahahaha! I want her before me, dunce."

"Oh… Don't be so ambiguous, damn you…"

Elizabeth approached Toshiro, and he said, "Come on, sit beside me."

"Okay," she nodded and sat on the container at his side.

"This is a prototype rifle, Elizabeth. It fires 25x150 rounds, so it has a kick, but the power is absurd."

"Ohhh… Can I have a feel?"

"Sure thing," he smiled and gave the rifle to her.

"Hmmm… It is surprisingly light… But it's a bit barrel heavy…"

"Yes, the balance is a bit off thanks to the cooling and the barrel itself. I had to counteract the heat-up after firing. The whole barrel is made of an 80-20 tungsten-rhenium alloy, and the thing around it is a liquid nitrogen cooling system."

Elizabeth, as most of the girls, with the single exception of Aya, tilted their heads in silent wonder.

"The whole rifle is magically treated to withstand the rounds it fires," Toshiro said and pulled out something out of the container. "These," he showed three enormous rounds between his fingers.

The girls looked at the rounds glowing slightly, one blue, one orange, and one black.

"The first one is a shockwave round, making a shockwave amongst the flight path, ripping everything in its path. The second one is an explosive round. After hitting something it cannot penetrate, it makes a boom. A biiiig fucking booom!" Toshiro spread his hands. "The third one is a singularity round. When it goes off, a local negative gravity field is made, crushing everything in a two hundred meter radius. But there's a limitation…" Toshiro said, and he flipped a small display off the rifle Elizabeth held. It showed a value of -15. "This is the temperature of the barrel. Each shot heats up the barrel to two thousand degrees. The melting point of the alloy that the barrel is made of is 3600. So until the barrel cools off to, safely assuming 1500 degrees, you can't shoot again. I made sure of it, electronically blocking the trigger. Now, the best part is that normally it takes one minute, thanks to some ingenuity on my side, but if you use this…" Toshiro pulled out a small metal canister out of the container. "You can fire about once per five seconds."

"May I?" Elizabeth asked.

"Sure," he passed on the container.

"Liquid nitrogen… Hmmm… So how do I use this?"

Toshiro flicked off a small inlet from the tube around the barrel. "You screw in the canister, and turn the valve, simple as that."

"I see… And you want me to test this gun?"

"Yup."

"Hmmm… Thanks you for your trust, Toshiro, I promise I won't misuse it or the rifle for that matter."

"Good girl. Now, the same rule applies, but because it's unlikely for you to lug around two big rifles, I want somebody to take it from you if it's not used."

"I can do it," Sieglinde raised her hand.

"Really?" Elizabeth asked with hope.

"Yup. I have to strengthen my back muscles anyway, haha!"

"Thanks, Sieglinde…" Elizabeth said shyly.

"No problem, Elizabeth, we're sisters in arms!"

"Now, are we clear for takeoff?" Katie asked.

"Yeah, no further interruptions from my side. I'll go back to the main building. Ah, Elizabeth?"

"Yes?"

"The rifle is mag fed, but due to the fire rate, it's best to load it round after round manually."

"A good tip, thanks," she smiled brightly.

Toshiro turned around, and went for the door.

"Take your heaviest equipment, girls!" Katie shouted, "We don't know what to expect!"

"So should I take the railgun as backup?" Aya asked.

"Yes, please."

"Roger!" Aya cheered.

"Then I'll take the cannon!" Nami and Elsa cheered in sync and laughed at the occurrence.

"No, take your automatic guns," Katie said. "If it's a Hive we're up against, it can spawn some serious amounts of enemies."

"Yes ma'am!" the two cheered.

"Dumdeedum, food!" Giulietta mused.

Once the girls geared up, Katie gave a command, "Let's go!"

"Roger!" the girls cheered and the ten of them zipped towards Mizhkraine.

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	37. Chapter 37 – Revered guests

Chapter 37 – Revered guests

* * *

"Come in, Toshiro," Kola said after he heard a knock on the door.

The door opened, and after entering, Toshiro asked, "How did you know?"

"My familiar told me she detected yours coming this direction," Kola shrugged.

"Oh would you look at that? What's her name?"

"Bianca. She's a polar bear. I just recently started talking to her… She's melting my brain off sometimes with her endless chatter, but I like her. Whenever I'm not with Aya, I have someone to talk to…" Kola sighed.

Toshiro took the chair that was beside the desk and sat on it. "So, that's where the magic is happening?" he asked with a smile while pointing out at the bed.

"We're not animals doing it on the floor, you know…." he smirked, holding in his laughter.

"Heh… You probably know why I'm here, right?"

"Yes. You're probably acting as a proxy for Aya's parents, but I bet a man of your caliber also has some concerns…"

"Indeed, Kola, you're an intelligent guy it seems."

"Well, according to the test I've self-taken, it's 175."

"175? Nice… You know what's weird? I don't know how that happened, but after the war, my brain started working… Differently… But let's not talk about me. Tell me about yourself. Tell me everything."

"Everything… That will take a few good minutes."

"We have a few hours I guess, come on. I need to know what kind of man is Aya screwing around with, literally and metaphorically, and why did she accept your proposal so fast."

"Heheheh… Okay then, from the beginning…"

 **Airspace north of the Orussian-Mizhkrainian border**

 **1000 meters ASL**

"So far so good," Katie said across the comms. "Not a single trace of Neuroi."

"Boooooriiiing…" Sieglinde moaned.

"Yeah, I want to try out this puppy!" Elwyn patted the G11 on her back.

"I wouldn't bother shooting that too…" Elizabeth looked at the enormous rifle on Sieglinde's back.

"Oh stop it girls, you're just…" Katie stopped midsentence as she picked up something with her passive sonar magic. "One target coming towards us fast! It could be a welcoming committee, but be careful!"

"Roger!" the girls responded amongst the crackle of charging handles.

They tensed up and waited with their weapons readied, but Aya fired up her Ryugan and looked into the distance.

 _"_ _Hmm… Looks perfectly human…"_

"Guys, it's a witch," she said.

"A witch? Are you sure?" Katie asked.

"Absolutely. Let's not scare her."

"Okay, I believe you. Safeties on, ladies."

Now, the quiet clicks of safeties being engaged were heard across the bunch, and then a single witch flew up to them. She had at least 170 centimeters of height, golden locks peeking from under her ushanka, and a cute face to match.

"Major Lyudmila Nikolaevna Kovalenko," she said cheerfully whilst saluting. "I'm the commander of this godforsaken outfit."

Katie flew up to her, and they shook hands. "Major Katherine Kowalski, the XO of the 777th."

"Pleased to meet you. Before we descend to the base, I want to explain what you're seeing now, okay?"

"Fine by me. Girls, get closer!"

Once the rest flew up closer, the Major started ogling Shinobu for a few seconds, and she smiled.

 _"_ _What the hell? Why's she staring at me like that?"_

"So, my dear guests and reinforcements… That is the city of Pripyat," she showed a small city to the south, with a Ferris wheel sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of it. "And that's our base," she said after pointing a small airfield west of it."

"Looks… compact…" Katie murmured.

"Beggars can't be choosers…" Lyudmila sighed. "There you see the CNPP."

The girls looked to the northeast of Pripyat, and saw a massive complex, with an enormous, red-white striped chimney in one place, and another one, surrounded by metal supports on the top of one of the enormous blockish building.

"That power plant is supposedly capable of delivering four gigawatts of energy, so it's self-explanatory that it's supposed to be guarded," Lyudmila explained with a straight face. "See that enormous lake to the south? I'd rather not fish there, heehee… That's the power plants cooling pond. But I would take my chances at fishing in the Pripyat River," she paused and pointed out a city in the distance. "And that's the city of Chernobyl. We should be stationed there, but you'll never see through the brass…" she sighed. "Okay, let's go. Dinner will be ready in a bit, so I hope you all have some spare space in your tummies?"

"Of course!" Giulietta shouted cheerfully.

"Good to hear, hahaha!"

The whole squad followed Lyudmila to the small airfield, which was surprisingly free of snow. They taxied into the hangar, and she said, "Just place your gear in an orderly manner under the wall."

After doing that, they exited through a door, passed through a connector, and entered the main building.

Giulietta's nose started moving and she said, "I smell food… It's some kind of meat soup…"

"I bet it's goulash," Lyudmila said. "And… Hmmm…" she looked at Shinobu again. "Lieutenant Sakamoto, do you like surprises?"

"Only the pleasant ones, ma'am. And how do you know my name?"

"Everyone already knows it here, heehee… Let's get you all introduced."

"Um, ma'am?" Aya asked.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any famous granddaughters here…?" Aya asked a bit shyly.

"Five of us, including me are descendants of some minor witches that haven't made it big. However, there are two exception, and we're damn proud of them. Come on, they're probably cooking dinner right now.

They entered a rather spacious dining hall combined with a common room. Two girls were moving stools and chair around, and two were watching TV.

"Oh, hi, Ludi!" one of the chair movers cheered. She was a small girl in grey mechanic overalls, with dark brown bob cut hair.

"Sup, Hanna. We have guests as you see."

"Oh, but we're a bit busy…"

"No problem, I'll introduce you all myself," she turned a bit to the 777th and started pointing out. "The one that was talking to me is Warrant Officer Hanna Wesselrud from Karlsland, one of our dedicated mechanics. The other mechanic, also moving chairs right now is 2nd Lieutenant Olga Olafsdottir from Suomus."

The pale blonde with twin pigtails and a height rivaling Nami nodded towards them without missing a beat.

"The two freeloaders are Second Lieutenants Giuseppina Montelupi from Romagna…" she pointed at the swarthy Mediterenan beauty with black long hair sitting before the tube. "…and Isabela Moreno from Hispania."

"They look… identical…" Elwyn squinted her eyes.

"Ask them later, it's a nice story," Lyudmila winked. "Okay, that means that there's only Kaede and Victoria are left."

"Kaede?" Shinobu asked surprised.

Lyudmila smiled wryly and shouted, "Kaede! Vicky! Come on out for a second!"

"I cannot!" a deep but still female voice shouted back.

"Well, that was Victoria's voice," Lyudmila said. "Which means that…"

Out of the kitchen, an almost carbon copy of Shinobu exited, with some minor details being different like her height and a few facial differences.

"Yeah? Are the guests here…" she stopped half sentence.

"K-Kaede _onee-chan_?" Shinobu asked, stuttering a bit.

"Shinoooooooooobuuuuuuuuu- _chaaaaaaan_!" the Fusojin ran towards Shinobu, grabbed her, and started spinning her around. "Shinoooo!" she cheered from the top of her lungs.

" _Onee-chan_! How?!"

"I was sent here a day after you were sent away!"

"No way!"

"Way!"

"Errrr…." Aya looked with attention at both.

"Oh, pardon me!" Kaede let Shinobu go. "I'm Captain Kaede Sakamoto, pleased to meet you all," she said politely and bowed.

"So Shino is your younger sister?" Aya asked.

"Yup! My dear _imouto_!" Kaede patted Shinobu on the head familiarly.

"Oh come on _, nee-chan_ … Stop… It's embarrassing…" Shinobu wiggled around.

"Oooh? You don't love your _nee-tan_ anymore?" Kaede puffed her cheeks.

"I do but… sheesh…"

"Heheh, I understand. So, how are you doing in the new unit?"

"Good. I could say that all the girls are more or less my friends, heheh…"

"Same here," Kaede smiled. "Still mad about Reppumaru?"

"Pfff… I'll tell you something, _nee-san_... Or maybe I'll show you," she raised her hand above her head and her sword appeared in her hand.

"Woah… When did you get that cleaver?"

"The same day you were given Reppumaru. I don't know if it was the work of the gods or something, but I'm damn happy about Nagareboshi!"

"How about we have a spar, huh?" Kaede smiled devilishly.

"No spars, ladies," Lyudmila said. "Kaede, back to the kitchen, drag Vicky out."

"Yeah, going…" Kaede sighed. "I know! If shit hits the fan today, I'll judge you by your battle performance."

"Bring it on!"

Kaede went to the kitchen, and Giulietta asked, "Say, is your sis a good cook?"

"Yup, very. She's better than me in that field, and I can't deny that."

"Ooooh goodie goodie goodie!"

"You'll get fat," Elwyn said.

"All the better, everything goes into these first anyway," Giulietta smirked while grabbing her breasts through her coat.

Suddenly, a brown-skinned girl with black dreadlocks walked out of the kitchen. When she stood up before the 777th, she towered over Nami.

"1st Lieutenant Victoria Mbele from Transvaal, welcome," she said politely with her deep voice.

"This is the granddaughter of one of your grandfather's acquaintances," Lyudmila said while looking at Aya.

"Oh? Someone exotic… Er… I only remember somebody named Matilda…"

"That would be indeed my dear grandmother," the stout witch said with a smile on her face.

"What are you doing _here_?" Katie asked just like that.

"The cold doesn't bother me, if you are concerned about that, ma'am. I was sent here specifically, because I was randomly picked."

"You sure picked the shortest straw, that's sure…"

"This is a good unit," Victoria replied. "Can I return to my duties?" she looked ad Lyudmila.

"Yes, that's all for now, Vicky."

She went for the kitchen, and Lyudmila said, "And that's our unit, more diverse than a port taproom, hahaha!"

"This sure _is_ a diverse unit," Aya smiled.

"Please, take your seats, watch TV. The toilet is right, down the corridor and right again. Oh, and you can take off your coats."

"Don't mind if we will," Katie said. "Girls, at ease!"

"Roger!"

 **Kola's bedroom**

"And that would be all…" Kola said and fell on his bed tired.

"Damn, you really had it tough… But one thing is sure – you weren't lying."

Kola returned to his previous position and asked, "And how do you know that for sure?"

"Microexpressions, voice tone, pulse, perspiration – everything analyzed by either me or my familiar."

"My intentions are clear, Toshiro," Kola smiled.

"I see that… Yeaaah…" he sighed. "Well, from my side, you have a green light… When we meet Akiko and Janusz, I'll be sure to back you up."

"Thanks; this means much to me…"

"Aya's emotions and sexuality awakened, and you were in an environment that kind of ruled out intimate contact between two people of opposite sex… Yeeaaaah… No wonder you dropped the bomb, and Aya took it straight on her chest… Ehhh… Do you know how long I waited to ask Yoshika?"

"Nope."

"We had known each other for… slightly over twelve months… And you have known each other for not even nine whole mother fucking days! How the world has changed… And you fucked her only what, seven days after you met? I had to wait over ten months! You lucky son of a bitch!"

"I don't know if I should be scared or proud…"

"Both. Be proud of what you have done as a man, and be scared, because if you fuck up with Aya, not literally, you're in a world of pain…" Toshiro said with a smile not leaving his face.

"I understand…" Kola said quietly.

"Now, where do you store the booze in here?"

"Booze? But you're supposedly…"

"Yeah, but I like to _disinfect_ my throat from time to time, heheh…"

"Mmmhmm… I guess I should have a drink with my grandfather-in-law as fast as possible, hahaha! Come on, to the dining hall!"

"Now you're cooking with gas!"

 **789** **th** **IFW base, Pripyat**

 **Common room**

"Hiya!" both Elwyn and Giulietta cheered, taking the two telemaniacs from both sides.

"Wah!" the two shouted and almost jumped off their chairs.

"Oh, are you are reinforcements?" Giuseppina asked her compatriot.

"Uhum!" Giulietta nodded and looked at the boobs of her conversation partner. "Meh, not worth it…" she mumbled quietly and looked at Elwyn.

She shook her head, and said, "Say, you two like peas from one pod, but you're from other countries, and you have other names…"

The implied twins turned towards each other and whispered something.

"We'll tell all of you at dinner, okay?" Isabela asked.

"Fine by me, I guess…" Elwyn said.

"Yeah, that's good," Giulietta followed up.

"So, TV!" Elwyn cheered.

"Yeah, I think Yogi will be on after the break," Isabela smiled.

"Yogi?! Where?! Chair! NOW!"

"Here," Olga passed on a chair to Elwyn with a sly smile.

"Thanks!"

 **A minute earlier**

 **Kitchen**

"Hey, _nee-chan_ , Katie and Aya wanted to look at the kitchen. Mind we I barge in?" Shinobu called into the slightly opened kitchen door.

"Not in the slightest, my cutest of all _imoutos_!" Kaede cheered from the depths of the kitchen.

"Ehhh…"

"She just loves you," Katie shrugged.

"I believe the word is _sis-con_ …" Aya pondered with her chin supported by her fist.

"Yeah, that's it… Kaede is just too damn fond of me…" Shinobu sighed and opened the door wide.

They entered into a small kitchen, about the same size as theirs. The Transvaalian and Fusojin were bustling around two stoves at once.

"So, Shino- _chan_ , want to help your _onee-san_ with the cooking?"

"Oh stop it… We're in the _West_ …"

"Okay, okay… So, Shino?"

"Yes, sis, if you want, I can help you."

"I can help too!" Aya raised her hand.

"Don't forget me!" Katie joined into the motion. "Although we just popped in to see the kitchen."

"We're fine to be honest," Kaede said. "Really. Just go to the rest and have a good time. You too, Shino."

"If you want, sis. But really…" she looked at the already prepared food. "You really shouldn't have gone out so much…"

"The commander appreciates you as both guests and dire needed reinforcements, so she has ordered to prepare an appropriate welcome," Victoria chimed in in her calm voice.

"Not to mention that this is a perfect challenge for our cooking and organizational skills," Kaede smiled.

"That's my Sis…" Shinobu sighed. "Taking shit seriously, but always with a smile on her face… From the two of us, I guess you're more like Sasami, and I'm more like Mio.

"Hey, it had to come up to this somehow, right?" Kaede giggled. "Hey, Aya?"

"Yes?"

"Can I call you Aya?"

" _Hai_ ," Aya nodded.

"Well, how is my little Sissy? Is she behaving well?"

"She had a bit of a break-in period, but she's okay," Aya responded. "Of course she's the friendliest towards me and Nami, heheh…"

"No wonder… She was squawking so long about you when she returned from the student exchange that I started getting jealous, hahaha!"

"Oh, the laugh!" Katie noted. "Is it some kind of trademark?"

The sisters looked at each other, and they laughed perfectly in sync.

"There it is again!"

"Our grandmother had this way of laughing, so this is a family tradition I guess," Kaede said.

"You have a nice laugh, Kaede," Aya said.

"Oh? Tell me more!"

"You have a nice voice overall… And a pretty face… And..." Aya did some measurements of Kaede's chest with her Mk.1 Peepers. "Yeah, you got nice boobs."

"Oh pshaw…" Kaede waved her hand slightly flustered.

"Sis has always been a sucker for compliments," Shinobu explained. "If I got a great score on a test, I just received my reward with a stern face, but she always jumped around like a maniac… Ehh… And she is supposed to be the older one…"

"Could you per chance save some topics for the upcoming dinner?" Victoria asked suddenly. "The others might want to listen to your tales too."

"Ah, good idea," Katie said. "Come on you two, let's do like bananas."

"And split?" Aya asked with a smug face.

"Ha! Exactly!"

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Dining hall**

"I really don't remember inviting you…" Toshiro mumbled while looking at Alissa drinking a beer. "This is supposed to be a "men's only" event."

"I have to counterbalance the amount of testosterone here, Toshiro," Alissa said smugly and took a sip of bear.

"Fine by me," Kola shrugged. "Alissa, you've been training Aya for all these years… Care to answer a question?"

"Let it rip, I can't read your mind," she smirked and looked at Toshiro, who in turn sighed quietly.

"Having what I have on hand in this base, can I make her some kind of gift she'll appreciate?"

"You could probably bake her chocolate muffins, she flips when she sees them."

"But I can't bake for shit, ugh…" Kola's head hang low.

"You can't bake, but what do you have us for, right, Toshiro?"

"I suppose I could help him… But dude, you have to brush up on your cooking! I hope you can at least boil water?"

"Heh, well, that's obvious… I can make a few robust dishes, but that would only satisfy a Siberian lumberjack like me."

"You have to start from somewhere," Alissa smiled. "Dry that bottle and let's start the lessons."

"Already?!"

"Yeah, why not?"

" _Gospodin…_ " Kola sighed and finished his beer.

 **789** **th** **IFW base, Pripyat**

 **Common room**

Both units were chowing down the mounds of food that were prepared by Kaede and Victoria.

"Seventeen people eating is something this room probably hasn't seen in some time…" Hanna noted.

"True," Lyudmila concurred. "So, dear guests, how is the food? Because judging by your Romagnan, it's okay," she giggled slightly.

"Itsh dewishush!" Giulietta interrupted her eating for a second.

"Hahaha, what a piggy we have here!" Kaede laughed. "I'm glad you like mine and Vicky's food."

"And we appreciate you went out so much," Katie said.

"Hey, you two, how about that story?" Elwyn asked.

"Ah, yes," the Hispanian said. "Ready, Giusi?"

"Sure, Bela! It all began in a maternity ward in a hospital in Palermo. Francesca Montelupi, my mother, bore twins. But at the same time, Fernanda Moreno, who was at the time on vacation, had a stillbirth… She was so desperate to have a child, that her man did something despicable. He snuck into the room with the newborn children, and stole one of them. Of course Mom was struck deeply by this… However, she poured all her love into me, since I was the one left at her side."

 **789** **th** **IFW base, Pripyat**

 **November 15, 1982**

"Have a good time!" the pilot of the transport plane shouted towards the only passenger.

"Thank you!" the swarthy, longhaired passenger replied and jumped out of the plane with just one duffle bag with her. "So this is it, huh? Looks… cozy…" she mumbled under her nose and moved towards the entrance.

When she opened the door, a blonde girl, older than her but a fair bit shorter, almost bumped into her.

"Hey, Isabela, watch out!"

"Um, sorry…"

"Oh? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be cleaning the hangar now?"

"I don't know what…"

"Bah, whatever, Lyudmila will have your ass anyway," the blonde haired girl ran off towards the taxying plane.

 _"_ _Now what was that all about? Whatever, I have to find this whole Lyudmila anyway…"_

Inside of the building, she took a right turn, and upon closer inspection, she found a door labeled "Commander's office." She gave a knock.

"Come in!" a soft yet decisive voice said.

She opened the door and entered.

"Oh? Isabela? What are you doing here? And with that bag? And where'd you get that uniform? Is that a tan?" Lyudmila started eyeing her profusely.

"Um, ma'am, this must be some kind of misunderstanding…"

"Ma'am? I told you to call me Lyudmila a billion years ago!"

"But I just got here!" she rebuked loudly. "Oh, pardon…"

The commander looked at her suspiciously, and she said, "You have your ID?"

"Of course ma'am."

"Give it to me."

"Immediately, ma'am."

She reached into her pocket, and pulled out her ID. Lyudmila took it, and after glancing back and forth at it and the one standing before her, she stood up and went to a panel near the door.

"Isabela, drop whatever you're doing right now, and come to my office ASAP," she said and turned around towards her guest. "Please take a seat."

"Okay."

She sat on a rather comfortable chair and waited in awkward silence. The door opened suddenly after a minute, and somebody dead similar to her appeared in the doorway.

 _"_ _Who is that? Why does she look like me? Could it be… Oh shit…"_

"You!" she stood up violently. "We need to talk."

"And who are you?"

"She's Giuseppina Montelupi, our newest addition," Lyudmila explained and turned towards her. "If you need privacy, I can provide it for you."

"No, ma'am, it's okay," Giuseppina replied calmly. "Isabela… Ugh… I don't know how to start…"

"From the beginning would be nice…" she smirked.

"Heh… So… You see… I had a twin sister, but she was stolen from my mother after birth… Mom told me on my fifteenth birthday… So… You look awfully like me and I thought…"

"That you're my sister? Nah, impossible. My mother said I'm her only child."

"Did she tell you where she had you?"

"Yes, in Palermo, Romagnia. She was on vacation."

"I was born in Palermo too."

Isabela raised an eyebrow and asked, "Your birthday?"

"July 4, 1966."

"Oh fuck…" Isabela gasped while covering her mouth. "No, I have to call mother first…"

"Please," Lyudmila pointed out the phone on the desk.

"Thanks!"

Isabela started dialing, and after the usual humbug with the operator, she said, "Mom? Yes, yes, I'm okay… See… There's a little predicament… No, no, I'm physically fine just… Listen to me! Okay, sorry… So… There's this girl here, a Romagnan. She looks like my twin, and she told me that she was born on the same day as me and… Mom? Are you okay? Oh… You're crying… Please, calm down, I'm confused as it is…" Isabela listened silently for a minute. "Yes… I understand… Thank you, Mom… I'll tell her, don't worry… Bye."

The receiver clacked on the hook in the dead silence.

"I don't know how to word it, so I'll try to keep it simple…" Isabela took a deep breath. "My mother admitted that Father stole me from a hospital in Palermo. She wishes to apologize to you, but she couldn't bring it up to do it through a phone. So… Err… Hi, Sis…"

Giuseppina suddenly hugged her tightly and said, "Welcome back…"

 **Present day**

"And that's how we reunited after sixteen years," Isabela said softly and looked at the guests.

Aya, Elwyn, Giulietta, Elizabeth, Elsa, Nami, and Katie outright cried, and the rest tried to maintain a straight face.

"Critical hit," Giuseppina whispered to her twin sister.

The latter giggled and said aloud, "I'm sorry if this was a bit too emotional for you, but I always feel so warm and fuzzy on the inside when I tell this story."

"It's just our unit is… hmmm… empathic," Angela smiled. "Right, Sieglinde?"

"Yeah, they're just nice girls, feeling for each other, and the random strangers."

"Now, now, let's finish our food while it's still warm," Lyudmila ordered.

Dinner was concluded in a more or less happy atmosphere.

"Ugh, I'm fuller than full…" Giulietta moaned.

"Ditto…" Elwyn mumbled with her face on the table.

"I'm sorry to spoil the siesta, but we have to go through tactics for an eventual attack," Lyudmila said. "Don't move though, my office wouldn't fit us all anyway. I'll just go and fetch my materials, and we'll begin," she stood up and walked out of the room.

"Booooooring…" the twins moaned.

"Hey, twins, what kind of magic do you have?" Sieglinde asked.

"Temporal Stasis," Isabela answered.

"What's that…?"

"Temporal means…"

"I know the meaning of the damn words! I just never heard of it."

"What we touch will be frozen in time for a set period," Isabela said.

Giuseppina added, "Our Final Art we called "Twilight Zone." We can do the same as before, just remotely and in a wider area."

"Intriguing… Shinobu's sister I can guess, but how about you?" Sieglinde looked at Victoria.

"Me? I have no inherent magic, but instead, I use powerful incantations of my ancestors."

"So you're like a shaman or something?" Aya asked.

Victoria smiled and replied, "More or less, although the word "witch" really fits to the "T" here."

"Now this is unique, I must say…"

"I have Super Strength Type A, and Olga has Type B," Hanna explained all of a sudden. "We're literally made for being ground personnel, heheh…"

"So you're your past retirement age?" Aya asked.

"Yes," Olga answered. "But this job is well paid, only a bit risky, and you have a lot of free time mostly. I wouldn't want to work in some office. Not to mention I like the job, haha!"

"I feel this aura of carefreeness in the air…" Elizabeth pondered.

"We are carefree when we have free time," Kaede said. "In battle, it's hundred percent serious business."

"Pretty much like our little establishment…" Angela stretched herself in her chair.

"Oh? Shino is having fun?" Kaede asked surprised. "That I approve!"

"Ugh, Sis…"

"Ladies, clear the tables, I have a map with me."

With trained movements, Kaede and Victoria made space for the map that Lyudmila unrolled.

"Okay, this is a map of our _neighborhood_ so to speak. We're here, Pripyat is here, the Power Plant is here, and Chernobyl is here," she pointed out the spots quickly in succession. "And the Hive is here," she pointed at a spot roughly thirty kilometers south-west from the Power Plant. "According to previous observations, the Hive is mobile, and the estimated speed is about thirty kilometers per hour, so it would need one hour to traverse the distance from its current position to the power plant. Now, it is estimated that the Hive will move in a set path towards the nuclear power plant. Three kilometers from its current position, two batteries of rocket and conventional artillery are placed. They are composed of BM-27's, Luna-M's, Gvozdika's, Tyulpan's, and even two Pion's for each battery."

The Karlslander from the 777th whistled in admiration without exception, but Katie also nodded to that.

"Now, if that mass of firepower won't stop it, the plan is to let it get in range 25 kilometers from the power plant. That's when we engage it."

"Why not sooner?" Katie asked with a stern expression.

"Because those are our direct orders, Major. I don't know what this is all about, but whatever…" Lyudmila sighed deeply. "We have five kilometers until the Hive gets to another point of the plan. There's a surprise prepared for it there."

"What kind of surprise?" Aya asked.

"An explosive one, but that's secret for now. When I tell you, just disperse from it, okay?"

"I understand," Aya replied.

"And if that fails, you still have a lot of space to fell the foe," Lyudmila said with a smile on her face, but her eyes veered off to the side for a second. "That's all for now, now we wait for enemy movements. Everyone to your duties and the guests can fool around."

Lyudmila took her materials, and when she was about to leave, Katie stood up and asked, "So, where's the can again?"

"Oh, I'll show you, Major."

"Thanks."

The two exited the room, and then Katie grabbed Lyudmila's hand and pushed her against the wall.

"Something stinks here, comrade, and it ain't me…"

"What do you want from me?" Lyudmila asked calmly.

"Stop spewing bullshit. Something in that battle plan is off by a mile, and I don't mean measurements."

"If anything, it's eyes only."

"Eyes only… Pfff!" Katie said and swiftly pulled out a small piece of paper out of the interior pocket of her uniform, along with a certain small red booklet.

Lyudmila read it carefully, and she started sweating. "B-But… My orders…"

"Tell me what I'm sending my girls in, or I'll shove my foot up your ass so deep that I'll be able to count my damn toes!"

Lyudmila took a few deep breaths and said, "Seventeen kilometers from the Power Plant, I'm to evacuate all the witches beyond the river. Then, Command will…"

She started talking so quietly that Katie barely picked it up.

"They will WHAT?!"

"Yes… It's all in the papers…"

"Holy shit… Mother fuckers… Sons of bitches! Why the fuck are they doing this?!"

"Orussian military leaders always thought differently…" Lyudmila sighed.

"Yeah… Okay, I'll keep this a secret from the girls, but believe me – if any of them gets as much as a burnt hair, you're going to the Gulag."

"Yes ma'am…"

"But for now, we can be friends," Katie grinned. "Just call me Katie."

"That's surprising… But uhm… Call me Ludi."

"Ludi? Heh, sounds funny!"

"I've heard it all. So, maybe you want to talk with me about the battle?"

"Yes, lead me to your den."

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Kitchen**

"Ugh, well, a good first try… Sorta…" Toshiro said while patting Kola on the shoulder.

"Uuuuhuuuh… What a fucking disaster… I guess the three in the dining hall will have to skip the taste test…" he himself sighed.

"No, we'll give it to them," Alissa grinned. "They volunteered, so they will have their muffins, heheheheh…"

"You sadist…" Toshiro grabbed the pan on which the muffins were standing. "If nobody dies, this will be a miracle."

He walked out of the kitchen, followed by Kola and Alissa. Marie, Aina, and Tatiana were waiting for them, sitting at one table. However, once they saw the muffins, their faces went sour.

"I think we'll pass…" Marie said diplomatically.

"You signed up for this, so please, give Kola some feedback," Alissa said in such a way that the biblical snake would be proud.

"We signed up for muffins, not charcoal," Tatiana said firmly.

"Come on, ladies; be true to your words," Toshiro smiled.

"Well… If you say it so… What do you say, Aina?"

"Whatever, really. I'll eat anything."

Toshiro placed the muffins before the girls. Marie was the first to take a bite. Her eyes opened wide and she spat out the contents of her mouth behind her.

"I guess that means "Inedible,"" Kola sighed.

Tatiana looked with a grim expression at the muffin before her, but she took a big bite and chewed it down with tears in her eyes.

"Ash a KGB egunt, I gan endur anyth'ng…" she mumbled with her mouth full.

Aina took her muffin, and after looking at it for five seconds, she slammed with her face on the table and started snoring.

"Cheater…" Marie grumbled with a sour face.

"Okay, I'm sorry you guys… I wanted to do it my way, instead of listening to the two… But if you give me a second chance, I'll make such muffins that you'll shit yourself from culinary delight!"

"We're close to that with those we have, thanks…" Tatiana mumbled. "But yeah, if you can prepare something that will wash away the shame and flavor of this… failed experiment on living organisms, then I'm game."

"Back to the drawing board, Kola," Alissa grabbed his shoulder. "Onwards!"

"Yeah…"

 **Forward observation outpost 29 km SW of Pripyat**

The tension in the air could be cut and packaged as connoisseur goods. Two passengers of a single car with were watching the Hive, a big, black-red patterned polygon dug into the earth through high power telescopes. The red hexagons on the surface of the Hive started glowing and the earth started to rumble.

" _Eto Glaz 1 ! Ob'yekt nachal pokazyvat' aktivnost' !_ Povtoryayu (This is Eye 1! The object started showing activity! I repeat)..."

The man reporting was suddenly thrown to the ground by a sudden shock and he dropped the receiver of the radio. After he stood up he saw that the Hive was now rising from the ground on four enormous legs, all at least a hundred meters thick and half a kilometer high.

"Misha, we picked a bad day to go on scouting duty…" the other guy said.

"You don't have to say that again!"

 **789** **th** **IFW base, Pripyat**

 **Common room**

As the girls held some conversations between units, a siren sounded in the room out of the blue. Katie stormed the door like a berserker and shouted, "It's time! Everyone sortie!"

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	38. Chapter 38 – Nuclear Mayhem

Chapter 38 – Nuclear Mayhem

* * *

As the girls held some conversations between units, a siren sounded in the room out of the blue. Katie stormed the door like a berserker and shouted, "It's time! Everyone sortie!"

Everyone jumped up from their chairs and ran out of the common room. In less than a minute, they were already mounting their Strikers with assistance from the two mechanics.

"Now what's that for a cannon?" Kaede pointed out at the railgun dumbfounded.

"That's a railgun, a cannon using electromagnets to propel ferromagnetic projectiles to absurd speeds," Aya explained calmly.

"Isn't that basically science fiction?"

"The science fiction of today is the technology of tomorrow," Aya winked. "At least that's what I believe. My Striker is something that also confirms that, heehee…"

"Girls, less chit-chat!" Lyudmila shouted with a tense face. "Let's go!"

The girls shouted "Roger!" in unison and rushed out of the hangar in their Strikers.

It took them roughly ten seconds to reach the point from which they would observe the advance of the Hive.

"So fucking big…" Elwyn gasped.

"Yes, it's big," Aya stated.

 _"_ _Not as big as the ones I saw though…"_

"But why do we have to just watch, damn it?!" Sieglinde shouted

"Orders," Lyudmila shrugged, trying not to look tense.

"Look, it's starting!" Kaede pointed out towards the enemy, and at the same time, a hail of unguided rockets started firing from the forests.

The distant cannonade was audible even from the distance they had to the spot the emplacements were firing from. However, when the smoke covering the target fell, everyone saw that it was unscathed in least.

"Well, that was a bit predictable…" Angela sighed. "Such a volume of fireworks on smaller fish, but not THAT!"

"But that will mean that…" Aya's eyes opened wide.

"No, Aya, stay," Sieglinde grabbed her shoulder. "We have orders."

"But!"

"Orders are orders…" she shook her head, and at the same time, the Hive shot an enormous beam, mowing down the artillery emplacements.

Aya bit on her lower lips so hard that blood started dripping from it. "This is wrong…"

"The soldiers swore an oath to defend their country, even at the cost of their own life," Victoria said solemnly. "May the spirit of the Great Eagle guide them through their afterlife."

"But look, we'll have some company soon," Sieglinde pointed towards the Hive.

Countless flying Neuroi started coming out of the main body and flying towards them.

"Now that's what I wanted," Aya said coldly and summoned her sword.

"Ooooh, nice…" Kaede mused in admiration and drew Reppumaru. "Let's put our blades to the test, shall we?" she turned towards Shinobu. "Shino?"

Shinobu summoned Nagareboshi and said, "You called?"

The three of them grinned fiercely as Katie said, "We can't go further than this, remember. Let them come."

"We have about a kilometer of space to maneuver officially, but let's say two or three won't make a difference," Lyudmila winked.

"Lily, you know what to do," Katie said.

"Sieglinde, I want to try that rifle," Elizabeth looked at the Karlslander.

"Have a blast," she replied while giving her the weapon.

Elizabeth operated the bolt and pulled out a full hand of rounds. She chose the one glowing blue and loaded it up. After looking through the scope, she was amazed at the degree of magnification.

"Just aim at the mass of drones, Liz," Aya whispered into her ear. "And do be prepared for massive recoil."

"Thanks, Aya."

Elizabeth pulled the trigger softly. The gun fired with an ear shattering sound, and the recoil almost toppled her. The bullet left a swift trail of destruction on its path, exploding at the end of its flight path, and for a second, a big hole was visible amongst the mass of enemies. The witches looked alternately between the amazed Elizabeth and at the slightly thinned enemy ranks.

"Bloooody hell!" she shouted and pulled out a liquid nitrogen tank out of her pack. "This is sick!"

" _Verdammt_ , that was nice…" Elsa muttered. "But good that we took our auto firing guns, right, Nami?"

"Yeah! We'll make good use of the fire rate, haha!" the Fusojin cheered and patted her BK-27.

"Okay ladies, open fire!" Katie commanded.

"Roger!" the whole 777th responded.

"What she said!" Lyudmila cheered, and the whole 789th responded with a choral, "Roger!"

The first shot fired was a slug from Aya's railgun, which pierced a row of ten Mediums with ease. The second shot was another shockwave round from Elizabeth's rifle. Soon after, Elsa's minigun started singing its staccato of death at two thousand rounds per minute, and Nami's revolver cannon was chanting choirs.

Victoria fired from an enormous, but proportional to her KPVT with an enlarged ammo drum, backed up by Katie's NSVT. The rest were also making due with their various guns. A person standing on the ground would need an umbrella to shield themself from the rain of brass cartridges and belt inks falling from the sky in bulk.

Enemies fell in tens as the hurricane of fire, and the twins Twilight Zone didn't let them disperse, and when there was just a bunch left, Aya swung her sword, and a sideways flying Reppuzan dissolved the rest of the enemy forces.

"Aw, I wanted to do that…" Kaede pouted.

"Heh, sorry… But I guess I had to vent."

"All for nothing you son of a bitch!" Sieglinde yelled towards the Hive.

"Witches rulz, Neuroi droolz!" Elwyn joined in.

"Kids…" Angela sighed. "What now, Katie?"

"Now I guess we wait."

"Yes, we wait," Lyudmila confirmed.

The Hive was moving at a fixed speed, and after a few minutes, Lyudmila pulled out a remote detonator from her pocket, fired up her comms and said, " _Eto mayor Kovalenko_ (This is Major Kovalenko) _. Podgotov'te Razgovora Neba_ (Prepare the Sky Breaker). _Tri… Dva… Odin…_ "

As her countdown stopped, an enormous cylindrical object shot up from the forest beneath the Hive, propelled by four rocket engines. As it was nearing the main body of the Hive, Lyudmila flipped the safety switch, and just as it was under a few meters under the body, she pressed the button. The cylinder popped like a zit in the furious fingers of a teenager before a mirror, and some kind of powder was sprayed in a wide cloud.

"Oh shit," the Karlslanders said in unison.

A sudden spark in the middle of the cloud, and a monstrous explosion eclipsed everything, covering the Hive in smoke and felling the trees on the ground underneath in a two hundred meter radius.

"It stopped!" Giulietta cheered.

"Don't count those chickens yet…" Katie mumbled.

They all waited tensely for the wind to blow off the smoke, and much to the predictions of the more realistic part of the joint team, the Neuroi was almost untouched, quickly regenerating its _wounds_.

"Does that mean that now we engage directly?" Giuseppina asked.

"Indeed," Lyudmila said. "Katie?"

The two nodded to each other and then yelled, "Witches, forward!"

 **Crimea Missile Defense Base, Mizhkraine**

General Voytinenko was looking at a MAZ-547A standing in the middle of the launch plate from his command bunker.

" _Tovarisch_ General, the Hive has crossed the penultimate point," a radioman reported.

" _Da_ … Prepare the _Pioneer_ for launch! Wait for updated target parameters!"

" _Tak tochna_!"

After shouting a few commands into the receiver, the sixteen and a half meter rocket started raising from the back of the truck.

 **Pripyat battlefield**

"We need to immobilize it, and then destroy the core!" Katie commanded. "Focus on destroying the legs!"

"Shino!" Kaede looked at her younger sister. "Thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Let's do this!" Shinobu yelled and the two zipped forward.

At the same time, Victoria started chanting in a melodic way, using an unknown language.

As Elwyn tilted her head in wonder, Isabela explained, "She's using one of her _ye olde_ incantations. This one is veeeeeeeeery flashy."

"Can't wait!"

In the meanwhile, Katie asked Elizabeth, "Lily, up for a coordinated attack?"

"Of course, dear cousin. What do I need to do?"

"Load that blue round again, and shoot the joint of the leg. Then, I'll take over."

"Roger that, Katie."

"I think I need to destroy a leg of my own…" Giulietta pondered alone. "I'll try to charge up and wait until the rest makes up their minds…"

"Stop mumbling to yourself, Giulietta," Sieglinde said from behind her back. "I'll Blitzkrieg one leg, and if it doesn't work, then you rip it off by yourself afterwards."

"Ahh, good idea!" Giulietta cheered. "What about Aya though?"

"It seem everybody around wants to gun down the legs, so I'll go after the core when it's done," she smiled. "This should work. Now go, Sigi."

"Roger that, Aya!"

All the attacks were launched more or less at the same time. The Fusojin pair hovered in the air, and started chanting a mantra. During it, they drew their swords and raised them above their heads. The blades started glowing slightly blue, then deep blue. As if started off by a revolver, the two swung overhead and shouted, "SHIN REPPUZAN!" at the top of their lungs. The two vicious attacks carved their way into one of the legs and exploded, disjoining it from the rest of the Hive.

Elizabeth in turn fired off her new toy. The 25 millimeter, magic infused round exploded in the _joint_ of one of the legs, and when that happened, Katie put her right hand forward and a miniature orb of fire started expanding near the edge of the hole. She didn't take her chances, and she detonated the sphere, detaching the leg in a momentous explosion.

A spirit like hawk started flying around Victoria, and as she shouted, "Roho Mkuki!" it flew into her hand and formed and enormous spear made of magic. She took a swing that a professional javelin thrower wouldn't put a dent in, but the throw was slow, as if the spear was weighing at least a ton. But when she finally released it, a sonic boom enveloped her, and the magic polearm flew toward a leg of the Hive. It dug deep in halfway, and then it burst in a show of lights, ripping the leg in two.

Sieglinde formed two balls of magic in her hand, one orange and one blue. She fused them together in a cascade of lightning, structuring a sphere of pure lightning. She pulled one of her hands off it, revealing that the two were joined with a thin blue thread. Sieglinde started swinging the ball on the thread like a slingshot, and she released it towards the enemy's appendage. At the same time, Giulietta started glowing with a bright white light. Gathering all the solar power she could, she concentrated all into her right hand. When Sieglinde's attack struck, ripping off an impressive chunk of Neuroi body, she shouted, "Sol Invictus!" and released a beam of light, cutting off the rest.

All of that happened in almost perfect sync, so that the main body fell to the ground with a great thud. The girls started cheering, but Aya concentrated. Her Overdrive aura exploded around her suddenly and she raised her sword, pumping magic into it. When she was about to release the furious blow, the sword stopped glowing, and she felt enormously tired.

"Ayaya, what is it?" Nami asked concerned.

 _"_ _Damn it… Kuro, what happened?"_

 _"_ _Your spar with your grandfather and Kyelissa still has some lingering after effects… I'm sorry, Mistress, but you're running on reserves now…"_

 _"_ _Agh, damn it!"_

"Aya, is something wrong? You have to deliver the final blow!" Sieglinde shook her slightly.

"Ugh, no can do, Sigi… I'm tired it seems."

"Ah shit! Shinobu, can you do something?!"

"Maybe I'll find some reserves to do another…"

The air suddenly was filled by an ear-bursting shriek of the Neuroi. Everyone without exception grabbed their ears bent in half. They tried to communicate, but no words were able to pierce through the debilitating cry. Slowly Aya looked at the Neuroi, who inverted its color pattern, and with horror, she saw that it was getting bigger and regenerating its limbs at an astounding rate even for Neuroi. After just a quarter of a minute, it stood taller and bulkier than before, and it started moving towards its target even faster, completely ignoring them.

The ringing in their ears stopped, and Katie asked, "What the fuck just happened?!"

"I don't know," Aya answered honestly. "But it looks like it doubled in speed, and…" she looked around. "I guess we can't do another round of attacks like that."

Katie made a grim face and looked ay Lyudmila. "Do it."

The Mizhkrainian nodded, and pulled out a small map and compass. She fired up her comms, and with a lifeless voice, she said, " _Eto mayor Kovalenko. Okonchatel'nyy perimetr narusheny_ (Final perimeter breached). _Nachat' operatsiyu „Vyzhzhennaya Zemlya"_ (Proceed with operation "Scorched Earth"). _Koordinaty_ (coordinates)…"

 **Crimea Missile Defense Base, Mizhkraine**

"Sir, did you hear it?" the radio op asked with a pale face.

"Yes," the General replied with a stern face. "Calculate the trajectory now!" he commanded and inserted a key into a control panel.

" _Tak tochno_!"

Using a computer and the data that came in, a technician printed out a sheet with directions. He gave it to his superior, and after an affirmative nod, he in turn gave it to the radio op. The man broadcasted the parameters to the launcher, and corrections were made using an enormous turntable on which it stood.

"We have five seconds before further adjustments are needed!" the radio op said.

"May God have us in mercy if this goes wrong…" the General sighed and turned the key.

A small glass pane slid off from a button, and he pressed it. The solid fuel in the RSD-10 _Pioneer_ rocket ignited itself, and the rocket roared towards it target, carrying a deadly payload.

 **Pripyat battlefield**

"Y-You did what?!" Aya yelled. "A nuclear MIRV was launched just now?!"

To underline her sentence, a faint cry of sirens came to their ears from north-west and southwest.

"Yes. We have to evacuate from here," Lyudmila said with a cold voice.

Aya slowed down time and started thinking.

 _"_ _Three 150 kiloton nuclear warheads packed into one RSD-10 rocket… That means that with minimum spread an aerial detonation, the towns itself should be safe… But…"_

Aya stuck one finger in her mouth, and after resuming a normal time flow, she raised it above her head. She slowed down time again in panic.

 _"_ _Oh no… The wind is blowing directly at Chernobyl! The fallout will be blown at the city, and God knows where else! No… I can't allow this… I can't… I have to do THAT."_

 ** _"_** ** _No, Mistress, this would be dangerous!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I appreciate your concern, Kari, but this is a do-or-die situation. Either I_** **do** ** _the Neuroi, or people die a horrible death."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Remember you have your Celestial Aura, Mistress! You can do it! You are the Champion of the Allgod after all!"_**

 _"_ _Champion of the Allgod… Ehhh… Okay, you damn Allgod! Lend me your damn power! I want to protect the innocent, at least that!"_

Aya resumed the time flow and she felt reinvigorated. She looked at her hands and saw that the Celestial Aura surrounded her body like the finest dark silk.

"Aya… What do you intend to do?" Katie asked carefully.

"I will destroy the Hive and the missile afterwards."

"But orders!" Lyudmila shouted.

"Fuck the orders!" Aya yelled. "Do you know what the fallout will do to thousands of civilians? I bet you do! So now excuse me, but I have people to save!"

Aya yet again diluted time, this time even more. She pressed the afterburner switch on her _watch_ and flew towards the Hive. She flew low, just above the tree line. She poured an enormous amount of magic into her blade, and once the boost kicked in, she resumed the time flow.

The girls back behind her only saw two blue flashes, spiraling into a double helix and going upwards the Neuroi. A conical blast occurred on the top of it and Aya flew out of it, spinning like a Dervish.

The enemy started dissolving into flakes and crumbling in huge chunks. Aya didn't celebrate yet, as she scanned the sky. After a few seconds, she saw it. A single glint was coming at a blinding speed high from the sky in from the southeast.

"Nami, Elsa – follow me! Liz – prepare a fire round!" Aya shouted and disappeared again.

With another time dilution, she appeared alongside the rocket, who already discarded the first stage engine. She cut it swiftly just behind where she saw a line of rivets, grabbed the warheads and flew away.

"Liz, shoot the missile, it's safe now!"

"Should I really do it?" the Britannian asked Katie.

"If she says so… But you think you can pull this off?"

"Cousin, please," she smirked and pulled up the scope to her eye.

She aimed at the jaunting fast missile and pulled the trigger. The bullet left a fiery trail, and upon impact, it exploded enveloping the rocket in a fireball.

"Good job!" Aya cheered.

Nami and Elsa flew up to Aya carefully.

"Now, listen, my dear cousins – I will make a cut, and you pry open the metal, Elsa."

"O-Okay…"

"Don't worry, everything will be okay."

Aya cut the housing swiftly, and Elsa ripped the metal apart and threw it away, revealing the three tear shaped warheads.

"Ayaya, what are we doing actually?"

"We have to disarm the warheads. They probably have their detonators set to a specific altitude, so if we drop them, they go boom, and I can't risk a detonation by trying to destroy it with magic."

"Ah, I see… Is this safe?"

"Yeah, sure," Aya smiled and with one swift movement, she cut off the noses of the warheads.

"JESUS!" Elsa yelled. "Do you want me to have a heart attack?!"

"Heheh… Sorry… Okay now, each one of us gets one warhead. Pick them off carefully, but don't be shy to pull them."

After giving a few tugs, Aya, Nami, and Elsa had a warhead of their own.

"This is so surreal…" Elsa said with a hint of fear.

"Yeah…" Nami gulped. "So what now?"

"Now, we just rip out all of the electronics. Without that, we'll just have a core of purified uranium and explosives around it."

"You said it as if we're baking a cake…" Elsa sighed. "Let's see… Uhuh… I see the core…" she said after taking a look inside. "So I don't touch that, but rip out everything wire and electronic board related?"

"Yes. You too, Nami."

Nami shrugged, sunk her hand in the hole, and tugged out a mangled piece of wires and parts.

"Hey, looks fun!" Elsa cheered and repeated after Nami. "Heheh, feels like a hippie's wet dream…"

Aya also did some rummaging in her warhead, and said, "Just be sure not to leave anything."

After a minute, Aya concluded, "We're done. Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"Hold this," Aya said and passed her warhead to her.

"Okay, but why…."

Aya closed her eyes and slumped down.

"Woah, woah!" Nami shouted and caught her with her free hand. "Ayaya? Ayaaaayaaaa?"

"She's out cold. Ehh… I guess she went 300% right now."

"Girls, what the fuck just happened?" Katie asked through comms.

"We disarmed three nukes," Elsa responded carefree and shrugged.

"Jesus… The blood of Aya's grandparents sure runs strong in her I have to admit that. Disregarding orders for the greater good… Lyudmila, report everything just like it happened, and we're returning home."

" _Home_ home or my base?"

"Our home," Katie smiled. "We'll just drop off those nukes and get back."

"Oh come on, at least take a bit of rest, drink some hot cocoa. Right, Kaede?"

"I won't let you go until you do that, and that's final," the Fusojin said with a stern face.

"Ugh, whatever... Everyone agrees?"

"Yeeeees!" both units cheered loudly.

"Then let's go!"

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Radio room**

"Nice," Ellie smiled to herself and stood up from the chair she had been occupying for the last hour. "But it's so quiet here. I wonder what's happening?"

She went down the corridor and to the first place that came to her mind. She saw the three witches that were left in the base watching television with Toshiro.

"Hi all," Ellie said in a friendly manner.

"Sup, Ellie?" Toshiro asked.

"I could ask you the same."

"Well, the mission was a total success. Aya destroyed the Hive and did… A bit more than that. They'll be back in half an hour or so, since everyone is tired, with our hero being the most fatigued one."

"Now that's good to hear, ma'am," Marie smiled.

"Yeah, my granddaughter did well," Toshiro said proudly.

"Where are Kola and Alissa by the way?"

"Baking muffins," Tatiana shot a disgruntled look at the kitchen.

"Muffins? What for?" Ellie titled her head slightly.

"Kola wants to impress Aya," Aina answered. "Nice approach, I must say."

"But the test subjects are unsatisfied…" Tatiana mumbled.

"Test subjects you say? I can join your little group, if you allow me, Toshiro."

"Jump right in, Ellie. Tatiana probably had enough after the first trial anyway."

"W-Well… If the next batch turns out good…" the Orussian started fiddling with her fingers.

"I'll give you half of mine, okay?" Ellie patted Tatiana on the head.

"O-Okay, Mom!" Tatiana cheered childishly.

Silence befell the gathered briefly, and Tatiana's face exploded with redness.

"S-Sorry…"

"I can't blame you…" Ellie sighed and continued patting her subordinate. "I really have a striking resemblance to your dead mother. People say that everyone in this world has a totally unrelated twin out there."

"So… Is your mom…" Marie asked Tatiana shyly.

"Yes, she's dead. She died of tuberculosis while I was in the middle of an _important_ mission."

"Oh… I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to. Just throw in a prayer for her, if you believe in such things."

"Yes, I will," Marie smiled shyly.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" Alissa walked out of the kitchen shouting loudly. "Another batch of muffins hath been completed!"

Kola walked behind her with a sour face, and walked before the three guinea pigs.

"I'm out," Tatiana said.

"But I'm in," Ellie added.

"Oh sh…oot…" Kola muttered. "Alissa, I hope you guided me properly…?"

"Have more faith in yourself!"

"Yeah, yeah…" the Orussian sighed and watched as Ellie took one of the muffins and had a big bite.

She chewed it with a stern face that lit up with a smile quickly. "Very good, Kola. The bitterness of that dark army chocolate has mixed well with the added sugar," Ellie looked down to Tatiana and said, "If you don't mind the bite, you can have the rest."

"Kay!" Tatiana cheered and munched off a fair bit. "Heeey! Good!"

Not trusting their eyes and ears, Marie and Aina took their muffins and also tasted them.

" _Très bien_!" Marie shouted.

"If I had some milk to this, I could sleep through a nuclear blast," Aina nodded.

"Wow… Just wow… Alissa, you're a damn miracle maker!" Kola cheered.

"I just gave you pointers," she shrugged.

"Better get down on the job, future grandson-in-law," Toshiro's hand landed on Kola's shoulder. "Aya will be returning in half an hour."

"If you say that, then the only way for me to react is to return to that kitchen, and cook the living daylight out of the oven!"

"Ha, enthusiasm worthy of somebody that wants to join the family! Good luck!"

"I'll go my way," Ellie said meekly and turned around.

"Toshiro, can you jump in for me?" Alissa asked.

"Huh? Why?"

She gave an almost unnoticeable nod towards Ellie, and Toshiro said, "Okay, whatever now."

Alissa walked silently behind Ellie down the corridor, and when the latter opened the door she also said, "Come in, Alissa."

When she came in and closed the door behind her, Ellie asked, "So, what do you want?"

"I noticed that you were a bit gloomy right now. Anything I can help with?"

Ellie sighed deeply and said, "I suppose I can tell you this as a woman… I think I love Tatiana."

"Uuuuuuhuuuuuh…" Alissa nodded slowly.

"Just don't get it wrong, please. I love her in a… more maternal way."

"From what I heard, you resemble her dead mother. Are you really feeling something for her?"

"Whenever I touch her, and she addresses me as mom, I feel warm inside. A warmth I never felt before…"

"Never thought about kids, did you?"

"The Neuroi efficiently pushed those thoughts away from me. Tell me, Alissa… Would it be normal if I adopted her?"

Alissa pondered a few seconds and responded, "Well, the age gap surely is rather unorthodox. And you're single. But those are formalities, and every gear can be greased. I will tell you something – ask Tatiana about it. Spend some time together. If you both feel the same way, why not do it? You live only once, and you have to use that one chance to its fullest. If you can give that girl a glimmer of hope, a bit of warmth – do it. I personally think she needs it. She's what, fourteen now? She's still in puberty, and she needs parental figures. I'm not asking you to marry right away, but think about it. She needs a mother she can lean over, and a father who will be her role model. And if you would speed up things anyway, she has a chance to have a baby brother or sister before she becomes an adult. She can still be saved from loneliness," she calmly explained. " _Dumal ne dumal, tsarem ne budesh'… Znachit nechego teryat'_."

"Damn you, Alissa…" Ellie barely squeezed those words out of her throat. "Leave me. I need to think this over…"

"I do have one more thing to tell you."

"Hit me," Ellie regained her composure slightly.

"Remember your little excursion at the border crossing at the dead beginning of the war?"

"Yes. One can hardly expect to forget that."

"And why do you think the Neuroi didn't chase you?"

"I don't know, really. I just powered forward without looking back."

"I sensed something disturbing that night. I rushed toward the place I felt the disturbance was most prominent, and I saw you and Katie escaping towards that hut. I had a prototype silencer for my rifle, and some radar jamming equipment, since this was most definitely a black op at that time, so you would really have to strain to see me."

"So… So… You saved us?" Ellie asked with disbelief written all over her face.

"Kind of, sort of. It is true that that _szeptucha_ had some divine protection, but it only worked for her. You two would be seen by the Neuroi anyway, so I distracted all of them from you, and killed a few stragglers that wanted to assault you from behind. But I had to pull out myself, as the enemy forces were overwhelming."

"No money in this world would reward you for what you have done…" Ellie's eyes started watering up. "Thank you..."

"I'll leave you now, Ellie. Think about everything I said. This is important. Oh, and you can tell Katie," she winked and left her.

 **789** **th** **IFW base, Pripyat**

 **Common room**

All the girls were chatting away cheerfully and drinking hot cocoa just as promised, with two exceptions however. After the battle, Lyudmila holed herself up in her office. And there was the case of Aya, who was lying on a blanket covering a table and sleeping with a glad smile on her face.

"Aya sure is sweet like that," Kaede said warmly while looking at her napping. "But are you sure she shouldn't lie down in a bed? I'll gladly lend her mine; she did an inhuman effort in the battle."

"We slept on the bare ground for a few days in our commando course, she'll be okay," Sieglinde smirked. "This is the Ritz compared to back then, haha!"

"And we'll be moving in a few minutes anyway. There's a chance Aya will sleep through everything," Angela added.

"She sure is pampered on…" Kaede noted.

"If you only knew how much shit did she have to endure, you would be jumping around her too," Sieglinde smiled crookedly. "Aya is special to at least five of us here."

"This is to be seen with the naked eye," Victoria said. "The bonds between you all and that girl are strong. She is a valiant warrior, indeed."

Lyudmila entered the room with a relieved expression on her face.

"Ladies, I have news, focus on me," she said and all eyes wandered in her direction. "I have been debriefed right now. I told them everything, but don't worry, the outcome isn't that bad. First, they were steaming mad that Aya started acting on her own, but when I told them what she did in detail, they even sort of approved it. Somebody will come later today for the three warheads."

"I guess they'll reuse them…" Katie mumbled.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Lyudmila sighed and continued. "Nevertheless, Aya disobeyed her orders, but I literally felt through the receiver that they were sweating like pigs when coming up with something. Aya is to be punished individually by her commanding officer, and that's all."

A deep sigh of relief passed across the whole room.

"Heh, Ellie is creative with her punishments, so I guess Aya won't have to be tormented unnecessarily for too long," Katie giggled. "I guess we should me moving slowly. It's getting dark, and we didn't bring our nightvision goggles."

"It was an honor to have such guests, Katie. If every unit had an Aya attached to it, the war would be over already."

"Hah, that would indeed be something! Conversely, it was nice being received by all of you. You took us in without any prejudice, and treated us like your own. Thank you, 789th, it was a grand time."

"Hey, _onee-san_ ," Shinobu said to her sister.

"Yes?!"

"Oh gods… Hey, it was nice meeting you here. I wish I knew earlier."

"Me too, my sweet sweet _imouto_. Come on, _nee-tan_ will give you a hug!"

"Ugh, whatever now…" Shinobu sighed and fell into the embrace of her big sis.

After a few moments of goodbyes, Sieglinde took Aya on her back, Elsa and Nami took her gear, and they all flew towards their home base.

 **Lebyazyhe Air Base**

 **Commander's office**

The phone rang on Ellie's desk, which she picked up immediately.

"Yes…? Wait, what? Understood, I will do it," Ellie said with a stern face.

Toshiro, who sat there with her asked, "What is it, Ellie?"

"There's a whole armada of HD-4's coming our way from the north, but the girls that were in combat are tired, and what can we do with those that are left?"

"I bet Toshiro knows an answer," Alissa smiled from Toshiro's side.

"I can destroy the enemy, but this will be an exception, given the circumstances," Toshiro said and stood up. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Wait, wha…" Ellie said and halfway Toshiro just disappeared. "Alissa?"

"If I removed myself from this planet, Toshiro would be the unquestionable number one magic user in the world, beating even Aya by a league," Alissa explained. "He's not bragging around because that would garner him some unwanted attention. Also, he thinks that the witches of this generation can fend for their own anyway."

"I see… So Toshiro just teleported himself right now? Is that even possible?"

"Magic," Alissa shrugged.

 **Airspace 150 km north of the Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **6000 meters ASL**

Toshiro appeared about twenty kilometers from the enemy cluster. He fired up his Celestial Eye and saw that a group of twenty HD-4's were heading towards his direction in a tight formation.

"So, you wanted to take us from two directions, you shits…" he said to himself. "I'll teach you something about tactics… Good that the clouds will cover everything from the south, so the girls won't spot what I'm doing…"

Livy appeared on his side and asked, "Will you be harvesting the fruit of your training now, Master?"

"Yup, I will," he clenched his fists. "It's good that the Neuroi are now flying above uninhabited land, less witnesses."

"Very well then, Master. I will cloak the whole incident anyway, so nobody will be bothered."

"Thank you, Livy."

He extended his right hand forward and focused on the figurative center of the enemy formation. Using his celestial powers, he started creating, condensing, and infusing an orb of pure hydrogen with magic.

"Tell me when it's enough, Livy; I don't want to raze the whole oblast."

Livy waited two seconds and said, "Now, Master."

Toshiro stopped the infusing, and super compressed the orb, creating a spark as hot as the surface of the sun inside of it.

In a split second, a blinding monochromatic explosion appeared, brighter than the setting sun, engulfing the whole Neuroi formation and two kilometers spare space around them.

"Bravo, Master," Livy hugged his right arm. "I wish you could go full out though…"

"I would have to have a fifty cubic kilometer buffer to go half-out…" he sighed. "That won't happen anytime… Time to go back."

 **Lebyazyhe Air Base**

 **Commander's office**

"Aaaaaand now," Alissa said, marking Toshiro's arrival.

"Did you do it?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah, I did…" Toshiro said and slumped down in the chair. "I took care of the visibility of my shenanigans, so it will look as if the Neuroi just disappeared."

"What did you actually do?"

"A thermonuclear explosion, fueled entirely by my own magic."

Ellie looked at him carefully, but then she just smiled, shrugged, and leaned back on her chair.

"Not impressed are we, huh?" Toshiro asked with a smirk of his own.

"After your duel with Alissa and Aya, and after your little teleportation shenanigans, I'm willing to believe you're send by God himself…"

"The One True Savior Toshiro!" Alissa laughed.

"I needed to let off some steam…" Toshiro puffed his cheeks.

"By the way, did you took part in the defense of Karlsland?" Ellie asked.

"Uh, yeah, I did," Toshiro answered. "I wasn't nearly as powerful as I am right now, since I started training after the whole event, but yes, I pulled my own weight."

"I guess your wife wasn't content, huh?" Ellie smirked.

"Not in the slightest… But she was more pissed off and worried that the Neuroi appeared again, not that I was fighting. And Alissa was there too. But I didn't battle with her or Aya's unit, since I was focused on a different part of the front."

"I don't remember any newspaper articles about you..." Ellie scratched her chin.

"He was cloaked all the time," Alissa said. "An invisible hand helping where my girls and I couldn't make it. We coordinated our efforts, and that's why Karlsland didn't fall."

"But Ostmark wasn't fortunate enough…" Toshiro sighed.

"I guess it was either helping Ostmark, or loosening up the defenses of your own country…" Ellie sighed.

"Let's just wait for the rest…" Toshiro said quietly.

 **Lobby**

The first one to enter was Sieglinde with Aya on her back. She stopped in the middle of the lobby and asked, "Do you smell something good, girls?"

The rest started whiffing around, and Elsa cheered, "I smell chocolate!"

"But it's not just chocolate… And not pure…" Katie pondered.

Suddenly, Aya raised her head and mumbled, "Muffins… Want…"

"Oh right, those are muffins we smell!" Elsa noted. "Hey, come on everyone, let's see what's cooking!"

"I'll go see if Ellie's in her office," Katie said. "Save something for me!"

"Will do!" Sieglinde answered. "Come on, Aya."

"Yaaaaaaaay…" she cheered weekly.

When Sieglinde entered the dining hall with her entourage, she saw Alissa sitting with Toshiro in one spot, and Tatiana, Marie, and Aina in another.

"Well hello!" Toshiro said aloud. "Aya? Are you okay?"

"Yeeeeees… Sorta…" she mumbled. "I'm pooped… Seriously… Pooped…"

Kola walked out of the kitchen and said, "Then I have something to reinvigorate you, hopefully."

He presented a platter full with muffins before the girls.

"Choooocooolaaaate muuuuffiiiins…" Aya moaned akin to a zombie. "Feed me…"

"Seriously, Aya, did you catch the license plate of the truck that hit you?"

"Heehee…"

Kola took one of the muffins and put it up under Aya's nose. She took a nibble and said, "Delicious. Who made them?"

"Kola did, with some help on our side," Alissa said.

"Really? Oh Kola… How nice…"

"Aya, sit like a proper human being or go eat in your bed," Toshiro said.

"Kay Grandpa. Sigi?"

"Yeah, sure. Can I have one?" she asked looking at Kola.

"I'm already taken, but I can spare a muffin," he grinned.

"Oh can it…" Sieglinde muttered and swiped a muffin of the platter. "Be right back."

Sieglinde walked over with Aya still on her back down the corridor.

"I'm sorry for being a burden…" Aya apologized.

"After what you did, I could carry you back to Karlsland if it's necessary. Really, don't worry. You know I like being in physical contact with you…"

"Heehee… I guess you like my boobs on your back, huh?"

"Heh, I would lie if I said no."

They entered the bedroom, and Sieglinde dropped off Aya on her bunk.

"Sleep if you need to. If a report is to be given, you can do it later, or I can fill in for you."

"Thanks again… And please, thank Kola for the muffins from me."

"You can do that on your own," Sieglinde winked.

"Saaaaay… Did you just imply something… indecent?"

"Heavens no!" Sieglinde said loudly with a faux anger. "Eat that muffin and sleep."

"Okay, okay," Aya smiled brightly and started chomping down on her treat.

 **In the meantime, Ellie's office**

"Knock, knock," Katie said after opening the door to the office.

She saw her silver haired friend turning her thumbs while watching at the ceiling, sitting not in her chair but in the seat in the corner.

"Hi Katie…" she said melancholically.

"Oooooh, I haven't seen you in such a mood for a loooong time, Ellie. What happened?"

"Close the door, come closer, and you'll know."

Katie swiftly jumped on Ellie's lap and said, "Tell me, Granny!"

"God damn you… Ehhh… Well Katie, this may come off as something unimaginable, but it seems that we weren't the only ones that were near Terespol in '81."

"We weren't? Who was there? Mizhkrainians? Chernarusians? Orussians? Some of our countrymen?"

"Nope. We had help from Alissa."

"You ma'am are shitting me. Ah, whoops…" Katie said flustered.

"I guess I can let that one pass. Returning to the topic, Alissa told me she was there. Unless Aya could tell her beforehand, she knew about what happened."

"Incredible…" Katie gasped. "Did you thank her?"

"Yeah… But if you want, you can do it on your own."

"You bet it!"

"There's also something else… Only Alissa and I know about it so, you know, shush and all that…"

"Please, Ellie, I'm in the KGB," she giggled.

"Heh, right. You see, I want to adopt Tatiana."

"Woaaah! Don't throw such curveballs at me! Seriously?"

"Yes, I'm dead serious," Ellie said with a face to match her words.

"I see… Well, it's weird but I won't stand between you and your happiness."

"Thanks, Kaśka."

"Ugh, stop it…" Katie nudged her.

"Heheh… Okay, I need a report from somebody else than you. Aya maybe?"

"She's probably out. Too tired if you ask me."

"Ah, then get me Shinobu, I guess she can deliver a proper report."

"Sure thing. Oh, and there's one more thing…"

 **Bedroom**

"Aya… Aya?" Elsa's voice pierced the shroud of unconsciousness and the called out Karlslander opened her eyes.

"Hmmmmm…" she stretched herself prominently. "What is it?"

"Fit for supper? It's due in a few minutes."

"Yeah, I guess…" Aya replied and her stomach churned. "Eheheh…"

Elsa giggled and said, "I need no more confirmation. Come on, the rest is already in the dining hall."

"Sure, sure."

Aya brought herself to shape and went to the dining hall with Elsa. From the doorway, Ellie said, "Major von Edelweiss, to me."

 _"_ _Uh-oh… I probably know what this is all about…"_

Aya approached the table at which Ellie is sitting and she heard, "Attention!", and she sprang into position immediately.

"Major von Edelweiss, I have reviewed your last battle. While you may have done deeds valorous and just, you have disobeyed an order. The higher ups have decided that it's my responsibility to punish you, therefore, in accordance to that, I'm sentencing you to being grounded to your bunk after supper until breakfast. You can take a bath after supper, and you can use the toilet, or visit me in my office, but you are forbidden to contact Kola. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am," Aya responded trying to hide a rebellious smirk.

"Now that that is done, Aya, really, you did a tremendous job. And seriously, cutting up a nuke? Pfff! I wouldn't go near that thing even if it was disarmed! And sit down already!"

"Yes ma'am!" Aya cheered and sat on her usual spot.

"You know what, Aya? You have balls bigger than most men do, and now that you have a higher rank, I think I can give you two things. One, you can now call me Ellie."

"Oh, but ma'am… Isn't that uncouth?"

"You're calling a three star by her given name," Ellie noted calmly.

"Ah, heh, I forgot already… Well, if you want, let it be, E-Ellie…"

"Now, how nice. Also, I want to make you the third in this unit. You can bee Katie's deputy, if you accept. That would also mean that you have power over your friends, so just to clear up things… All in favor raise your hands!"

Unanimously, all present in the room raised their hands.

"That was fast. So, will you hear the _vox populi_?"

"Heehee… If you all want me to command you, then why not. I accept, Ellie."

"Hah, you're powering through, Aya!" Toshiro shouted cheerfully. "You already have the rank I began my service in the Wehrmacht with, and you're the third in command in a unit! I'm so proud I could cry!"

"Oh pshaw, Grandpa…" Aya said flustered. "I'm just doing what's necessary…"

"I also did what was necessary, and boom, I have five stars. But you know, Uncle told me that realistically, if I weren't his nephew, and if they didn't need a propaganda figure, with or without my consent, I would probably be a one star at most, and only after I would retire."

"Is that confirmed info?" Angela asked. "I always pondered about those abrupt promotions of yours, no offence."

"Yeah, Uncle and some of the Military Council members told me that after the war. I just asked them, and poof, an answer. But really, my rank had functional meaning only when it was necessary. I might as well stay that First Lt. I was given when I returned from Britannia, but whatever. They gave me my Major rank just because I asked," Toshiro shrugged. "Shouldn't we be eating or something?"

"Yeah, the food will get cold!" Katie shouted. "Eat up!"

During the meal, Tatiana somehow managed to spray ketchup over her face. Before anyone reacted, Ellie wiped it all off with a tissue.

"Thanks, m… ma'am…" the Orussian replied baffled.

"No problem, Sweetie," Ellie said warmly and patted her on the head.

 **Bath**

"Does she really have to moan so much…?" Sieglinde mumbled under her nose, watching as Nami gave Aya a firm massage.

"Hey, Sieglinde?" Aina asked.

"Yeah?"

"You kind of look like that Schwarzenegger guy, just with tits."

"Oh?" Sieglinde raised an eyebrow. "How would you know?"

"I saw a movie with him. Conan the Barbarian I believe."

"Damn! I still haven't seen it!" Sieglinde splashed the water angrily.

"Well, it's not Oscar worthy, if you ask me, but that guy sure is watchable, heheh…"

"He's my inspiration, you know?" Sieglinde smiled.

"But isn't he Ostmarkian?"

"Close enough. Want to feel my muscles?"

"I'm not into girl-on-girl action, sorry."

"Did someone say girl-on-girl action?" Giulietta popped out of nowhere.

"Not now…" Sieglinde mumbled with a red face.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear anything…" Aina turned around slowly.

"Don't overthink it, damn you!"

Everyone laughed, and then Nami suddenly popped up behind Sieglinde and started feeling up her biceps.

"Nice muscles indeed," she whispered, and then added loudly. "How 'bout a massage, Sigi?"

"Don't call me that!" Sieglinde yelled with a red face. "And yes, please…"

" _Tsundere_ like the world is far and wide…" Shinobu sighed.

 **Bedroom**

"Remember Aya, you're _grounded_ today," Angela said. "Don't try to wander off to Kola. You're should behave appropriately to your rank, and not lose the trust Ellie has placed upon you."

"Don't worry, Angela, I won't. Grandpa and Alissa wouldn't let me anyway. They may be sleeping, but they're always vigilant in some manner."

"Yeah, Alissa sure is the vigilant type… But your grandfather?"

"His familiar. They don't have to sleep, so she is watching over Grandpa like a pit-bull when he's asleep."

"I heard that!" an unknown female voice shouted suddenly, making almost everyone twitch.

"W-W-What?!" Elwyn almost jumped off and under her bed.

"The name's Yuki," the voice came from Toshiro's direction. "I'm the familiar of this senile git, and I'm watching you while he's asleep. And listening… Listening veeery carefully, I might add."

The girls that had _night adventures_ blushed visibly.

"How does that work?" Giulietta asked curiously.

"Me talking trough him? Very simple. In the previous war, I was vibrating his vocal cords, but now I can use my own magic to project air vibrations _around_ Toshiro. Something we acquired while training after the Neuroi popped up."

"Cooooool!" Giulietta's eyes sparked up.

"Okay, Yuki, I think it's enough show and tell, don't you think?" Toshiro said while looking straight forwards.

"Okay, you da boss. Good night ladies."

"Night…" most of them mumbled uncertainly.

"Methinks we should hit the hay," Alissa said and went to the light switches. "Chop chop, into your beds."

She waited a moment until everyone was lying on their bunks and said, "Night, gals."

"Good night, Alissa!"

 _"_ _Cuties…"_

She flicked the switch, and the only light source in the room became the moon. Alissa dropped on her bunk and laid back.

 ** _"_** ** _Hey, Aya, I know you want to ask me something, but you need to rest."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Damn you and your powers… Now I really know why Grandpa hates dealing with immortals. But okay, I'll ask you tomorrow in the morning."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Good. Sleep tight."_**

The faux mortal waited half an hour, and whispered to Toshiro, "Hey, T-man."

"Ugh… What?"

"I'm proud of you, you know?"

"Oh do tell?"

"Your work on copying and modifying my rifle design is astonishing, and where praise is due, I have to express it."

"Well thanks… Getting the rhenium for the barrel was kinda difficult, but I only needed a pinch to replicate more… And the alu-niobium cartridges, filled with that propellant I had to invent from scratch are also worth their weight in gold. And the depleted uranium projectiles… And don't let me get started on the rest, bah!" Toshiro paused for a second. "But why am I even blabbering off to you…" he sighed.

"Heehee… I guess that's as much as you can get done with today's technology, Toshiro. You didn't wan't to overstep the technological limits of this time, since you could just freely create a rifle that would overshadow the one you've built, right?"

"Yeaaah… I wish I would be able to make that SFS, just to prove myself…"

"Impossible."

"What?"

"I'm telling you, it's impossible. I mean, you would finally find a replacement for Sky Silk, oh don't worry, that synergy of minds with Yuki would finally produce a result, but to make it up to spec with the Mk. 3… Eh… Sorry, Toshiro, but I kinda cheated on that one."

"You used 2012 tech, big deal," he shrugged.

"No, 2012 tech has nothing to do with that. Remember that map you had in the sim?"

"That funky GPS like thingie? Yeah, I still remember it."

"That, the Mk. 3 SFS and some other things are created using Light Kingdom technology. Despite your best efforts, you would be thousands of years behind in technological advancements by people with minds on par or even better than yours. Unless you actually use your Celestial Thingamabob, in which case it will probably make it instantaneous. But you won't, since you want to challenge yourself, heheh…"

"Bitch…" Toshiro mumbled bitterly after a few seconds of silence.

"Everything has it's time and place, Toshiro. However, I promise you that I'll remove some hurdles."

"What…"

"No, not telling. Time and place."

"I could probably sigh so deeply that even Elsa would awaken, but whatever… I think I stopped having fucks to give. Night, Kye."

"Not entirely, Toshiro… There's a guest that wants to visit you."

"Oh really? Who is it?"

"You know her."

"So a girl… Hmmm…"

"I can freeze the world around us, so don't worry about meeting her."

"Ah… Well then, let her _in_."

Kye snapped her fingers, and just as the world froze around him, a girl with a body similar to Sieglinde's, but with enormously long crimson twintails, slightly greater height, and sparkling red eyes, appeared sitting before him, clad only in black silk panties and bra.

"Oh my… Maia?" Toshiro asked surprised.

"It's nice to meet you again, Toshiro," Maia smiled brightly.

"What are you doing here, girl? I thought we had our adventures already, and that we can't meet together."

"No, Toshiro, I'm not here to meet you, as much as it saddens me. Especially that now I see that despite your age, your body is… mmmmhhhmmm…" she moaned slightly. "…definitely more mature… My… Father really punishes me with allowing me to be here…"

"Seeing you really pumps my blood, if you know what I mean," Toshiro snickered. "So I guess if not me, then…" Toshiro looked towards Aya.

Maia looked around, and eyed the room.

"Indeed, Toshiro, I'm here to fulfil my end of the bargain with your granddaughter, Aya. I hope you have nothing against it if I go at her with my full power?"

"Hmmmm… Actually, I don't have any problem with you, since it is a promise… But let her decide about the extent of your… _love_ towards her, okay?"

"Of course, my dear friend," Maia smiled and moved closer to him. "But I think I can make due with you personally…" she said and kissed him on the lips for a second. "I'll be moving towards Aya now, have a good night. And… I would like to do this privately so…"

"I can organize it," Kye smirked. "Have at it."

Aya's bunk suddenly darkened in Toshiro's eyes, and he just shook his head in disdain.

Maia jumped down from Toshiro's bunk, and she slowly moved towards Aya's. The Karlslander must have noticed her, since Hikarimaru appeared in her hand, visible to her.

"Maia?" Aya asked. "What are you doing her? And… Is the world frozen around us?"

"Good evening, dear Aya," Maia bowed her head slightly. "Yes, the world is frozen around us, courtesy of one of your friends. As for the purpose of my visit, did you forget already? According to my data, only a few days have passed since our momentous battle."

"Our battle…" Aya pondered and looked closely at Maia in a whole. "Oh… OH! But Maia, I have a fiancé now…"

Maia glowed in a fierce crimson aura, and with a deep voice she asked, "Do you think that a mere mortal will come between an oath given by me, the Goddess of Chaos, and you, the one who bested me?"

"G-Goddess? So you were…"

"A mortal when I fought you, yes," Maia grinned with satisfaction. "Aya, I know about the intricacies of the relationships in this world, but know this – I have to fulfil this promise, otherwise it will become a stain on my honor. Think of it this way, Aya – I'm a goddess, but did anybody prove that gods exist?"

"Gods… Exist…" Aya mumbled to herself, with the proverbial gears turning around in her head. "That's a very clever way of putting it, Maia… So if I cheat on Kola with you, it would be as if I didn't in the eyes of a normal man of this world, right?"

"I'm glad you're taking my way of thinking, Aya," she smiled. "And do know that your revered grandfather has cashed me in already, along with his better half, and the better half of the 501st."

"S-Seriously? When did that happen?!"

"During the Second Neuroi War. I visited them in their base near a town called Frankfurt. It was a beautiful trip, bountiful in trophies for me, heehee…"

"Wow… This is a bit shocking but… Okay, Maia, I will enable you to fulfill your promise."

Maia slid down on Aya's bunk, and over her body, placing her left hand on Aya's right cheek.

"Do you want me to use the full extent of my power?"

"Um… Will it make any difference?"

"You will probably only have one chance to do it with a goddess, Aya. Choose carefully."

"If it's a one-time occasion, then please, give me all you got, Maia…"

"You won't forget this night till the day your eyes close forever…" Maia whispered with a sultry voice as her lips slowly sought Aya's.

* * *

 **Reminder #1 – the Celestial Order power that Toshiro has mastered enables him to manipulate matter at the possibly lowest level, even enabling him to create something out of nothing, or even alter the very principles of reality around him.**

 **Reminder #2 – Maia is the daughter of Mavet, the baddie of the story in which Aya too part between chapters 32 and 33.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	39. Chapter 39 – Prophetic headache

Chapter 39 – Prophetic headache

* * *

Maia lied down besides Aya, who was gasping for breath, twitching on her whole body.

"There… There…" Maia stroked her head with her left hand, rejuvenating her with her powers at the same time.

Once the Karlslander came to herself, she said, "I… I never thought it was physically possible to achieve such a deep level of pleasure… I doubt I will be able to do something like that with any mortal…"

"I told you it was worth it, Aya. Was it?"

"Indeed, it's something I really won't forget… Thank you, Maia."

"The pleasure was mutual, Aya. Now I fulfilled my promise and… it makes me sad…"

"Oh? Why are you sad, Maia? I'll probably have trouble sleeping now, heehee…"

"Don't worry about that, you'll fall dead asleep in a few minutes. It's just that… now that my honorary obligation is fulfilled… I think I won't be able to see you or Toshiro anymore…"

"Ah… I see…" Aya frowned. "Even though you came just for some sex, I kind of started liking you… Your emotions came through… Uh, wait, that sounded awkward… I mean…"

Maia silenced Aya by kissing her, and afterwards, she said, "I know what's on your mind, Aya. It makes me happy that I made another friend."

"But… Can't you just come here on your own? You're a goddess…"

"Despite being stronger than the _normal_ gods that participated in the simulation, my powers have limitations, my dear Aya. Or rather, I could come here anytime, but… It's about Father… He still harbors an animosity towards Toshiro, so this is the only time he allowed me to come here…"

"I understand… So… Let's say our goodbyes, and you go to Grandpa, okay?"

"Actually…" Maia smiled devilishly and suddenly she found herself outside on the side of the runway.

"What the?!" she shouted and looked down. "Oh, I have my clothes? Maia?" she said as she looked to her side, seeing her clad in the same clothes as she had.

"I just wanted to stroll around a bit…" she said with slight smile. "I love this world, Aya. When I visited Toshiro all those years ago, I did it for a whole day. It was a really magic experience for me, a crown princess. This world is so different, yet it's so similar… But it's the differences that make it score so high in my book…"

Aya took a step, and she grabbed Maia's left hand saying, "Come on then, Maia, let's have that walk."

"Thanks…"

They walked down an alley devoid of snow, lit by the orange and blue-greeenish lights of the sodium lamps.

"I love the scenery, Aya… It's kind of romantic," she giggled. "The forest around us, all this snow, the building of the base… Is that the hangar by the way?"

"You should know, you're a goddess," Aya snickered, but after she looked closer, she saw that Maia reverted herself to her more human form. "Ah, don't want to spoil the surprise?"

"I like being both _human_ and a goddess, Aya. I have the privilege of being both at the same time," she smiled. "You want me to show the tools of your trade?"

"Hmmm… If you really didn't spoil yourself the surprise, then let's go."

Aya entered the hangar before her, and she flipped the light switch. Maia walked inside, and she started looking around, eyeing all the Strikers carefully.

"I bet those are faster than Toshiro's XF-1?"

"XF-1?" Aya tilted her head. "Oh, the prototype from the end of the Second Neuroi War? Actually, only my Striker is capable of that, heheh… And Grandpa made it," she blushed slightly.

"Hear hear…" Maia nodded. "What fine guns and vehicles you have here…"

"How is it in your… kingdom?"

"It's a utopia, Aya. No wars, no famine, perfectly regulated birth rate, no diseases, et cetera. A paradise as it says in the dictionary."

"So Mavet wasn't lying about being liked by his people…" Aya pondered.

"Father had a moment of weakness, that's all…" Maia sighed. "He's a really nice man when you get to know him. Who knows, maybe he'll invite you to our place one day?"

"Me visiting Mavet? Now that's a blue moon occasion… But I did like your mother somehow… She's so… refined…"

"Right? That's partially her being a Homo Telum, and partially loving Father from the depths of her existence. Wielding the power of Celestial Chaos doesn't mean we're barbarians, right?"

""First there was chaos," Aya quoted. "I understand, Maia. My Grandpa can be an awful scatterbrain despite his power, and you're surprisingly composed for somebody that's the embodiment of chaos," she giggled.

"Right," Maia smiled. "Okay, Aya… It's time I went my way."

"Oh, already? Aww…" Aya went closer, and hugged her friend tightly.

"I hope we'll meet again one day…" Aya whispered. "In a less… sexual way…"

"I hope this will happen, Aya… Oh, and I restored your clothes, they're on the bed."

"It would be a shame if I lost them, heheh…" Aya giggled and let go of her. "What now?"

"I'll go visit Toshiro, and teleport you back to your bed, so you can get some sleep. As a _gift_ , I'll make you super sleepy, and you'll wake up as fresh as ever."

"Heh, thanks, Maia."

"Good luck, Aya. Win this war and live a happy life of peace," Maia grinned and the scenery before her changed.

Aya was in her bed, lying in her nightclothes. An immense feeling of drowsiness befell her, and she closed her eyes, tucking herself into her teddy bear.

 _"_ _Bye… Maia…"_

Maia trotted over towards Toshiro's bed. He was already asleep, thanks to a time shift. She lied down beside him, and hugged his back.

"Finished?" he asked with a sleepy voice.

"Yes, Toshiro. I think Aya is satisfied with the outcome."

"Yeah…" Toshiro said and took her right hand. "So I guess we won't see each other soon?"

"I guess not, Toshiro… We said goodbye once already, so… let's not prolong this unnecessarily, okay?" she asked with a slightly unsure voice.

"I don't like to throw my words against the wind, Maia. One definite goodbye it is," Toshiro smiled bitterly, and felt a warm sensation on his cheek.

"So be it, my unfulfilled love…" Maia whispered and Toshiro felt that her presence faded.

"That's a bit sad…" Alissa whispered.

"I guess Mavet is keeping her on a chain because of me… Maybe he wants her to find somebody worthy of her but not me specifically?"

"Who knows… Sleep, Toshiro, this is beyond your reach, no matter how hard you stomp, or how badly you pout."

"I know…" Toshiro mumbled and closed his eyes.

 **Airspace over the Volgograd Oblast**

 **January 25, 1983**

 **0300 MSK**

Two witches were flying slowly under the cloudless, starry sky, lit by the moon above them. One of the witches was humming a solemn but romantic tune.

"Hey Aina, is that from a movie?"

"Well yes, it is," the Suomi smiled. "Care to guess the tittle?"

"Heh, I believe the Orussian title was _Krestniy Otec,"_ Tatiana smiled wryly. "You won't believe it, but that son-of-a-bitch father of mine took me, a seven year old girl at time, to that movie. I was mesmerized… The romanticism of the mafia hit me hard…"

"Not only you, Tanya…" Aina sighed. "Speaking of which… Tanya, you sure must like the commander, do you?"

"Uh… Er…" Tatiana stopped talking for a few seconds. "Well… I didn't tell you one thing when I did that little exposition of mine back then… You know, she resembles my mother to the point she could be her twin sister… And… Mom died recently of tuberculosis and… Whenever the commander touches me, or addresses me familiarly, I feel a warmth inside of me… And it seems it's mutual, because I feel peace radiating from her when she does that."

"Hmmm… That's a big chunk to swallow for me, but I'll tell you one thing though – if you feel that something needs to be discussed, do it."

"So you're telling me to… talk to her about my feelings?" Tatiana asked with a bit of distrust.

"Yeah. What movies taught me is that such things should be discussed," Aina smiled.

"According to movies, if you shoot a car in the fuel tank it will most likely explode," Tatiana said sarcastically. "But okay, I'll trust you, my dear comrade in night flights."

"Oh bother, can't you talk normally?"

"Heheh… Of course, Aina. Come on; let's continue that patrol of ours.

 **Bedroom**

 **0621 MSK**

Toshiro turned himself around half consciously and he felt something in his loin area.

 _"_ _Ugh, bother…"_

 ** _"_** ** _Need some help to chop down that log?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _And good morning to you too. Any fine tips on reducing the_** **pressure** ** _?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Either you wait, which would be natural, or you can take up upon my offer."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Which would be…"_**

Toshiro felt a firm but delicate at the same time one-arm embrace from behind, and a pair of voluptuous breasts pressing against his back. To add insult to injury, a muscular leg wrapped itself around his.

"Hiya, male me," a familiar voice whispered into his ear.

"Toshiko? Well now, nice to meet you after all these years."

"The pleasure is by my side, T-man. You sure aged gracefully."

"And you?"

"Me? Kye promised you an eighteen year old me, and here I am, as it says on the tin."

Toshiro liberated himself from her clutches and turned around to her. In the half-darkness, he saw his beautiful female counterpart, in the revision from his second visit to Kye's world, meter ninety tall, busty, and buff.

"Dagnabbit… Did I really look so hot when I visited Kye for the second time?"

"You sure did, Toshiro," Toshiko giggled.

"Kye, I can't just fuck my female self raw here…"

"You can, don't worry. I've made some… hmm… alterations," she smirked to herself.

"Alterations she says… I guess I'll allow it," Toshiro said imitating Perrine from her olden days. "Now, Toshiko…"

"Slowly and gentle at first, and after that you can wreck me," she smiled devilishly and embraced him yet again.

 **Bedroom**

 **0720 MSK**

Just as Aya gained consciousness, she heard Alissa's voice in her head.

 ** _"_** ** _So, want to talk?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah, I think I do. I have question – how should I address you? I mean, your real name is Kye, but I've always known you as Alissa. This confuses me to an extent, and I want input from you."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Heh, how cute of you. You know, my real REAL name is something else. However, if you want to pleasure me, please call me Alissa."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Really?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yes. I like this name. It may be a cover name when I mingle with mortals, but it's a name I have used for the most time when I was living a normal life. It reminds me of the best days of my life, the days before I returned to being an Elder God."_**

 ** _"_** ** _So you regret it?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Partially yes. You know, Aya, being a mortal is having many possibilities of unique experiences. While before I re-obtained the powers of an Elder God I haven't been a mortal all the time, I wasn't omni-anything. Life had surprises – the good and the bad. I never knew what awaited me. I cherished each moment of my life with my loved ones. This was especially true for all the mortal periods in my life. But stuff happened, and now I'm who I once was many eons ago. I can do almost anything, I see almost anything, I know almost anything. Even if I'm reborn as a mortal, I can only be one for about twenty years, and then poof, I regain everything just like that. Most gods don't know the thrills of being a mortal, only looking at the top of their immortal noses. And really, Aya, you wouldn't want to be me. I sometimes wish it wasn't me that was chosen to become the Goddess of the Seven Stars… But the circumstances put that weight on my shoulders, and now I have to bear the burden of my decision for the rest of my life."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Was it for a loved one?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _The biggest sins and biggest wonders are done out of love for another person, Aya. Never mind the magnitude; it just boils down to that. One day I will show you what happened, but not today, okay?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Sure, Alissa. Thanks for the info. I always thought that being a god is just shits and giggles, but you sure enlightened me…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Heh, for the most time it is, Aya. But I hope that a threat to the whole omniverse won't happen ever again as long as I exist…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _No thanks, Mavet was enough already. But I have a feeling I forgot something from that battle…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _There are things one should, and one shouldn't know. That particular memory you're searching for falls into the second category. You'll get to know in due time."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Whatever you say, Alissa. By the way, did you sick Maia on me?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _No, that was Mavet allowing her to finally come over. Toshiro allowed me to allow her to… rough you up, heh…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Well, I won't lie; I thought I would die from the sheer pleasure… She really is a goddess…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _But that was yesterday. Now, get moving, you're on kitchen duty today."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh crap!"_**

"Ay…"

Aya dynamically jumped off her bed, and bumped into Nami, sending both of them to the ground in a tumbling mess.

"..aya…" Nami mumbled. "I didn't know you were suddenly into me," she giggled.

Aya looked at her current positions, ascertaining that she was now straddling on Nami's hips, while holding both of her friend's breasts in a firm hold.

"Wah!" Aya shouted, jumped off her, and started bowing frantically. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"

"Ah, come on now, Aya…" Nami said while raising herself off the ground. "You probably had something on your mind, right?"

"Uh, yeah…" Aya said mid-bow.

"Then it's no problem. But we will have a problem if Katie busts into here and drags us out by our ears. And now that you are a big fish here, you should set an example for us!"

"Y-Yeah! I should set an example, not tumble on the ground with my friends! Give me a second, I'll get ready."

"Okaa…" Nami tried to say but Aya just turned into a blurry flash and re-appeared before her fully clothed. "…ay… Ugh, Aya, I want something like that too…"

"You also have a nice ability! Imagine what money you could make on a construction site, heehee…"

"Construction site you say? Hmm… Now that's rather… Say, that's a good idea! Witch construction workers are paid premium! Ha!"

"Okay, go now you two," Shinobu sighed. "It's half past seven dead, and I have a gut feeling Katie has her hand on the door handle right..."

The door opened slowly and Katie peered in with a devilish smile saying, "Now."

"Hi Katie," the two laughed dryly.

"Come on you two scallywags, let's make breakfast," Katie said with a smirk on her face.

"Coming!" the two cheered with relief and ran after her.

"I guess you can pull the agent out of the KGB, but you can't pull the KGB out of the agent," Angela said.

"You think she was eavesdropping?" Sieglinde asked.

"She would probably call it "preventative control" anyway," Angela smiled. "And it's not like we have something to hide here anyway, right?"

"Well yeah, we're not doing orgies here or any…" Sieglinde reddened halfway through the sentence.

"Oh really…?" Angela smirked and peeked to the top bunk where Sieglinde was now covering her face with a pillow. "I suppose two ain't an orgy," she added quietly and looked at Elsa's whose opened mouth resembled a pothole. " _Lieber Gott_ … Elsa, will you stop sleeping like it's the summer vacations all the time?"

With no response, Angela sat on her bunk while shaking her head in disdain.

"Oh joy…" Toshiro smirked to himself. "Sure is fun, huh, Kye?"

"Aya is another person after she found her marbles. But she definitely takes the best from her grandparents, and that's a given."

"I hope you didn't have anything to do with that little accident, hmm?"

"Me? I only communicated with her telepathically and reminded her she's on duty."

"So you indirectly caused it."

"Somehow, maybe, whatever," Alissa shrugged. **_"I should be a mortal more…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I'm still wondering why you haven't performed a proper rebirth though."_**

 ** _"_** ** _At my current age, I would be_** **godified** ** _anyway already, but with the limitations of a mortal body. And despite your antagonism, you wouldn't kill me to release me from my mortal shell if anything happened, right?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Never. I may hate you at times for messing with me and my family, but I would never kill you."_**

 ** _"_** ** _See? You got a grade A answer. Oh, and to add upon that, I have duties, you know? As the Goddess of Seven Stars and such. I can't just prance around as a mortal like that, because my powers would be sealed, and the consequences of my absence could be dire…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _For fucks sake, Kye, you can just predict anything, right?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Nigh anything. Have you forgot about one crucial detail?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Nigh… Oh right… There's the Primordial Goddess too… But what about her?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You know, it would be no effort for her to spawn forth a danger to the whole omniverse just to test us. And believe me – if she wouldn't make it so, I wouldn't see it until it hits me straight in the face."_**

 ** _"_** ** _And she would do it?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _She could, but only if it was necessary for the cosmic balance. She herself is basically impartial to everything."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeaaah… By the way, how is my dear Allgod doing? I know he's alive but…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _He's alive and kicking, heheh… You'll meet him one day, and you'll be surprised what a swell guy he is."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I have an eerie feeling that I've met him…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Who knows…? Well, I know, but remember how I work, heehee…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Miss Crypticass Rides Again – now in theaters, Dolby Stereo in selected areas…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh my sweet bitter Toshiro, hahaha!"_**

"Oh my head…" Elizabeth mumbled quietly to herself. "I have to get some pills. Maybe Katie has some…"

She slowly crawled off her bunk and just putting on her boots she wandered towards the exit.

"Elizabeth? What's happening?" Alissa asked. "Something wrong?"

"My head wants to crack open… I'll ask Katie if she has some painkillers or something…"

"You can always ask Aya, she can help you with her magic," Alissa said warmly.

"They're both at the same spot so… But thank you for the tip," Elizabeth tried to smile and she exited the room. "My, it's dark here… Maybe a fuse went bad or something…"

 **In the meantime**

 **Kitchen**

"Ugh, Aya, can you fetch Shinobu? We'll never make it with just the three of us," Katie said.

"Sure thing!" Aya cheered and ran to the door, and once she opened it she said, "Hey, the lights are out in the corridor…"

"Damn it… Take the flashlight; it's in a wall recess, behind a plate to your right.

"Oh, I always wondered what was behind that square…"

Aya pressed it and it popped off on a hinge. She looked inside and saw a flashlight with spare batteries.

"Geez, they must have had it hard with electricity here…"

"Kola said that fuses burn like clockwork here," Katie shrugged. "Now off you go. And don't make detours…"

"Heheheh… But actually, I could just use my powers and…"

"And be almost invisible in the corridor, spooking people? Have some consideration, Aya…"

"Okay, okay…"

Aya slid the switch on the side of the square flashlight and walked down the corridor.

Elizabeth in turn saw the door to the dining hall opening briefly, and then a light came on in the middle of the corridor. She looked at it hypnotically, as her headache started intensifying. Suddenly an image from the past haunted her.

 **Bangor, Maine, United States of Liberion**

 **May 1, 1973**

"Sweetie, just return before it's totally dark, okay?" Melissa Moore shouted to her daughter.

"Kay Mommy!" the six-year-old squirt cheered and ran out of the suburb located house into the front garden, dimly lit by the setting sun. "Weee, the air is sooo freeesh! Hmmm… What to do… Kaśka isn't here, so maybe…"

She heard a faint meow coming from the street.

"A putty cat?" she asked herself. "Putty cat! Where are you?"

The small Liz walked towards the street, listening to the cat. She opened the wicket and went to the sidewalk. Then she saw the cat – a calico lying in the middle of the street.

"Putty!" she shouted and ran to the cat. "Oh poor kitty… Who did this to you?"

She started petting the poor cat meowing sorrowfully. She was so preoccupied with it, that she heard the blaring of a horn when it was too late. She looked up and saw a single headlamp shining and then she felt a great force hitting her. She flew back several meters and landed on the asphalt. Slowly she touched her forehead, which stung with pain, and she looked at her hand. It was covered in dark red blood, and the last thing she heard was a muffled "Oh fuck…" being repeated many times by a male voice.

 **Present day**

Aya saw a shape falling to the floor on the edge of the cone of light of her flashlight. She quickly ran forward and saw Elizabeth curled up in a fetal position, lying on the cold tiles only in her bed clothes.

"Liz! What happened?!"

"I remember…" she said faintly. "I remember the accident… A cat on the road… A truck with one headlamp out… Blood everywhere…." she started shivering.

"Calm down, everything will be okay," Aya tried to soothe her by patting her head.

"I want Kaśka…"

"You want to go to Katie now?"

"Yes…"

"Okay, come on…" Aya lifted her up in a bridal manner and returned to the dining hall.

"Katie, we have an emergency!"

"What kind of…" Katie looked out through the counter, but when she saw Elizabeth, she jumped over it and rushed to her. "What happened?!"

"My head started hurting, just like when I try to remember something. I wanted to ask for some painkillers, so I decided to go here and… Then Aya came with her flashlight and I had a flashback."

"Oh? What did you remember?" Katie asked half-curiously and half-concerned.

"The accident. The motherfucking accident that robbed me from fucking six years of my life!" Elizabeth yelled with a vein bulging on her forehead.

"Lily, calm down, you're starting to swear…" Katie said calmly.

"Sorry, sorry… I think I'm partially to blame for what happened, but the truck driver was at fault too… Oh whatever now… At least my head isn't hurting like mad… Only a bit."

"Oh my poor cousin… Aya, get Lily back to her bed. I'll get the meds from the office and join you. Nami!"

"Yes?" the Fusojin asked from the kitchen.

"You're on your own for a minute or two, we'll be right back!"

"Did something happen?"

"Yes, but don't worry, everything's under perfect control."

"Okay, I'll manage!" Nami cheered and retreated into the depths of the kitchen.

"Um, Aya…" Elizabeth said quietly. "Can you let me down?"

"Ah, okay…." Aya said a bit flustered and let Elizabeth stand on her own legs. "Are you okay? No nausea? The room isn't spinning?"

"No, I think I'm good… You can make breakfast, and… Katie, can you tag along back to the bedroom with me?"

"Sure thing, Lily. Aya, I'll be back in a few."

"Kay, Katie. Want the light?"

"I have my own light," Katie smirked and walked into the corridor hand in hand with Elizabeth.

Once enveloped by darkness, she raised her hand and formed a miniature fireball, illuminating the few meters around them.

"You really have to teach me how to do this."

"One thing at a time, Lily. First, you go back to bed, and then you get some pills. Afterwards, we'll see."

"Okay, Cous," Elizabeth smiled faintly and they walked down the corridor. "Katie, how did we part our ways?"

"My mom decided to return to the Old Country in 1973, because she received a lucrative job offer in Manchester. And we had to move… You know, we had houses in the same neighborhood, just a street apart."

A searing pain struck Elizabeth and she fell to her knees.

"Oh nooooo… Lily, I'm sorry for telling you! Really!" the Leh panicked.

"Your home was a two story detached house, with a brown tile roof, and cream colored walls with a rough finish. You had a flamingo beside the mailbox, and the lawn always looked perfect. Your room…"

Katie hugged her cousin and said, "Sssshhh… Don't say anything… It's okay, don't push yourself…"

"But the memories are streaming in just like that! I can't stop it! Please… Just be with me…" Elizabeth whimpered.

Katie tucked her into her chest and they waited for a moment.

"You really had a nice house. I also saw your parents. Your mother was beautiful back then."

"She still is," Katie smiled.

"But I didn't see you in my memories. I saw a white blotch sometimes but… You think that was you?"

"I really don't have a degree in neurology, Lily," Katie giggled. "But it's nice you're regaining your memories. Even if in an erratic and random manner… Come on; let's get you to that bed already, before your head will split in half."

"Actually I'm feeling a bit better now. Well, better as opposed to a minute ago."

Elizabeth was led to the door of the bedroom, and Katie said, "Okay, I'll go for the pills, and you lie down like a good cousin."

"Roger."

Elizabeth entered the bedroom and while she was walking to her bunk, she was led by the curious looks of those already awake.

"Stop staring, guys…" she sighed.

"Did anything happen? You look pale." Toshiro asked.

"I had two memory relapses in five minutes," she said and saw that Toshiro tilted his head so she explained, "I had an accident involving a run over cat and a truck while was six. It left me in a coma, and since then, I had amnesia and hemophobia. For the second I see no cure, but my memories sometimes return when I'm talking to Katie, and that induces a massive headache."

 ** _"_** ** _Don't, Toshiro."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Wait, what?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You wanted to propose to use the Sacred Flame to heal her. But believe me, she can overcome her condition on her own, just give her a bit of time."_**

 ** _"_** ** _You know I can't stand girls suffering…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I promise you, as the Goddess of the Seven Stars, that she will recover fast."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Well then, if you say so…"_**

"I see, Elizabeth. I wish you luck with your peculiar afflictions."

"Thank you, Toshiro. I'll just wait for Katie with some pills and I'll take the day slowly."

Katie rushed to her cousin quickly and jumped on her bunk.

"Pills!" Katie said and grabbed the cap of the small bottle, but she hissed in pain and put her finger in her mouth quickly.

Elizabeth looked at the cap, and saw a red blotch on it.

"Hey, Katie, is that blood?"

"Whur?!" Katie quickly inspected the cap, fearing the obvious. "Wait a second…" she said after pulling her finger out of her mouth. "You're still conscious!"

"I am! Hey, show me that finger, just to confirm something."

Carefully, Katie put up her injured finger, and a drop of blood slowly formed above the small cut. Elizabeth gawked at it, her face a bit skewed, but she said, "Nope, nothing."

"A damn miracle!" Katie yelled.

"Whuuuu… What miracle?" Elsa mumbled and fell back asleep immediately.

"How is this even possible…?" Katie pondered.

"I saw a lot of blood in my memory of the accident. My blood. Maybe my comatose brain made some kind of connection with blood in a very negative connotation?"

"As I told you, I'm no neurologist. So, do want those pills? Ah, damn, I didn't get any water…"

Elizabeth took the bottle and unscrewed the cap.

"How many?"

Katie furled her eyebrows and said, "Two I think."

"Down the hatch," Elizabeth said and simply chewed down the pills, which was heard in the whole room.

"Damn, you sure are tough…"

"I had to take an assload of meds after my accident, so I'm really indifferent to the taste of pills."

"Today l learned… So, if you feel better, just call me or something, I'll have some food laid out for you. If you don't feel fit for training, nobody will bother you," Katie looked towards Alissa and received a nod in return.

"Thanks," Elizabeth smiled brightly.

"Shinobu, can I ask you to jump in for kitchen duty? We're a bit behind schedule now."

"Okay boss," Shinobu smirked.

"Hey, don't give me that treatment after I told all of you to call me by my given name!" Katie pouted heavily.

Everyone around who was awake giggled, but Katie also had a laugh and said, "Come on already, or we'll be eating crackers for breakfast!"

"But crackers are good. One time we had training in the snowy mountains, and the crackers tasted like the ambrosia!" Shinobu said proudly.

"Oh fuck you with your hard training… You know what tastes like ambrosia? Fucking everything, after you've been deprived of food for a week."

"Speaking from your personal experience?" Angela asked.

"I'm a KGB agent after all," Katie grinned. "Shinobu? Come on or I'll pull you by your damn ears!

"Yeah, coming!"

Katie heard a rattle and looked at her hand.

"Ah, you go to the kitchen, Shinobu. I have to return the pills."

"Sure is damn dark in the corridor though. But don't worry, I'll manage," Shinobu said and went forward through the darkness.

Katie in turn made a small fireball in her hand and trotted on to the office. Once she opened the door, she saw Ellie rummaging through her desk.

"Watcha looking for, Ellie?"

She raised her head and looked at Katie with a tired expression.

"Ugh, I'm looking for the painkillers, but they disappeared…"

"Well, I have them on me now," Katie said and threw the bottle in a way that it landed straight atop the desk.

"Also feeling bad today, huh?"

"No, it was Lily. She regained a hefty amount of memories, and her head is screaming in anguish."

"Ah yes… How much does she remember now?"

"The accident that caused her amnesia and details about my house and the whole neighborhood I guess. And there's more! She's over her hemophobia, tested empirically!" Katie cheered with an enormous grin poppin up on her face.

"Now that's very nice…" Ellie mumbled.

Katie walked up to her comrade, and sat on the desk. "Oh come on, Ellie, be a bit more enthusiastic…"

"I'm sorry, but my noggin also wants to explode… Too much late night thinking I guess."

"About Tatiana?"

"Yeah. And the KGB… And our unit… I had a thinking session instead of sleep…"

"Oh my poor friend," Katie patted her on the shoulder sympathetically. "Any conclusions though?"

"Yeah. On the first matter, I'm still set on getting closer to Tatiana. The second matter I decided to leave in the hands of our visiting Generals. The third… well, that's a current issue, so I'll have to power on as usual."

"Nothing like a good summary!" Katie laughed and jumped down on the floor.

"Which brings up the matter of the lighting in the corridor… Could you bother Kola now?"

"But Ellie, I have to make breakfast…" she mumbled. "Afterwards, okay?"

"I always knew you were apt to command your own unit, but you somehow stuck to my side," Ellie smiled a bit. "Why bother when you can just be a notch lower and have almost the same responsibilities, but less pressure from the higher echelons, huh?"

"Almost as if you probed my mind." Katie smirked. "Care for some coffee? _Wyglądasz jak śmierć na chorągwi_ (you look like Death on a banner)."

"No, I'll fix myself up in the privacy of our bedroom. I can't face my dear subordinates, and two major guests, looking as if I have one foot in the grave, right?"

"Always the responsible one. Take care, Elka."

"You too, Kaśka," Ellie smirked.

"Oh bite me," Katie said and wandered out of the room.

"Kaśka, Kaśka…" Ellie sighed to herself quietly. " _W cośmy się wpierdoliły_ … (What the fuck did we wind up in…)?"

* * *

 **Toshiko - Toshiro's female alter ego, brought up only for shits and giggles**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	40. Chapter 40 – Flying with Air Kola

Chapter 40 – Flying with Air Kola

* * *

Katie returned to the dining hall and saw that Kola was flirting hard with Aya over the kitchen counter.

"Well hello, love birds. I believe breakfast is still a few minutes away, don't you think?"

"Oh come on, Katie," Kola rebuked. "You really want to be the bad cop and stand between us?"

"Motha fucka… You're trying to guilt trip _me_?! Hah, best one yet! For your information, Kola, I have nothing against you two, really! Hell, you even gave me a good time of my own! But Ellie's orders are word and law, and I will carry out her authority with full prejudice."

"You had a good time?" Aya asked. "Huh?"

"Irrelevant!" Katie yelled with a red face. "Aya, back to cooking! Kola, fix the lights in the corridor!"

"I could not listen to you, you know… I'm a Major myself now…" Aya mused.

"Remember that I'm your superior as the XO of this unit, Aya. Don't get cocky just because you've averted a potential nuclear disaster, and because you have two higher ranked friends in your unit," Katie said calmly. "I hope you're not trying something fishy?"

"Nah, I was just trying to either cheer you up, or piss you off, so you'd forget about Liz," Aya replied with disarming honesty.

"Errrr… Well… This is surprising. You don't have to worry about me worrying about Lily, or we'll have such a spiral of _worryness_ that it will pierce the heavens, hahaha!" Katie laughed loudly. "Oh look, it worked! Nice job, Aya, but we REALLY have to put on pace with the damn breakfast!"

"Is my order still valid?" Kola asked.

"Yeah, if you would do it before breakfast, I would be grateful."

"Just how grateful?" he smiled wryly and received a swift hit with a ladle to the head from Aya. "Jeez, stop being so possessive…"

"Heheh… If you manage to do it, I might look the other way when you two want to sneak out for a quickie after breakfast…" Katie smiled devilishly.

"And… And how did you infer that?" Aya asked flustered.

"Won't tell," Katie mused. "So, are you up for it?" she asked.

"I will be done in less than five minutes," Kola said while trying to hide his emotions and ran away.

"Men sure are honest…" Katie sighed. "Promise a shag afterwards, and he'll paint the house with his dick just to earn it."

"You've studied male psychology too?" Aya raised an eyebrow.

"Especially that, my dear Aya. As an agent, I was expected to reach my goals using all means possible, even if it meant giving my body to some greasy fuck."

"Sure is nice you were turned into a sleeper agent, huh?"

"Like hell. But please, let's not talk about that dark past of mine, and finally make that fucking breakfast!"

"Should I break out the crackers out of the pantry?" Shinobu peeked over the counter.

"Oh go to hell!"

After only two minutes, Kola walked into the room nonchalantly, and walked up to the kitchen counter. "Hey, Katie, I fixed it."

"Sure was fast of you. What was wrong? The lights flickered for a few second by the way."

"I replaced a fuse as fast I could so you wouldn't kill yourselves."

"You had really good timing," Shinobu said. "I was about to start chopping something."

"Who's the best repairman around?"

"You are, my dear," Aya smiled. "But go sit on your place, you're distracting us."

"I risk life and limb replacing a fuse, and I only get shooed off… Ugh…"

 **A bit later**

"I see that Elizabeth is still absent?" Ellie asked when the breakfast was ending. "Did anyone check up on her?"

"I did, when we were going out," Marie raised her hand. "She said that she'll probably be ready to do anything in at least half an hour, roughly."

"Thanks!" Katie praised the Gallian vividly. "I was just about to run over and check on her!"

"Calm down, Katie," Ellie waved her hand. "Now, girls, boy, and gentleman," she smirked. "Any plans for today?"

"Training as usual with Aya and Toshiro," Alissa said.

"Me again?" he asked surprised.

"You'll be useful, and not only as a punching bag."

"I guess that means clearing up the runway too, huh?"

"Bravo, Toshiro, you've developed mind reading skills," Alissa giggled.

"Booooring boooring what a…" Toshiro intoned and sighed deeply.

"I guess I can't join now, right?" Shinobu asked with disappointment written all over her face.

"I'm sorry, Shinobu, but that's how ways are right now," Alissa said warmly. "Work on your physical condition, that's important too."

"You can't build a villa on sand. Hey, Sieglinde?"

"Yeah?"

"How long would it take to reach your current body physique?"

"Oh, now that's a good question! You already have a nice body, comparable to Aya's in the respect of body fat and muscle percentage. I'll tell you something – I'll write down my whole training regime I followed through all these years, and I bet if you follow it as if those are the holy scriptures of bodybuilding, you'll be set before your twentieth birthday."

"Wow, thanks…" Shinobu said baffled. "I didn't expect you to part with your knowledge so easily."

"You're my friend, why wouldn't I?"

"Dunno…" the Fusojin mumbled.

"Shino is blushing, kawaaaaiiii _!_ " Nami squealed like the high school girl she should be.

"Mumble mumble…"

 ** _"_** ** _Uh… Alissa?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You want Kola badly, huh, Aya?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Y-Yeaaaah…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _No. Training first. Afterwards take a bath, and THEN you can go."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Awwww…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Hey, you really want him to do you when you're fresh, squeaky clean, and have a slight fragrance of lemons or some other fruit or flower. Believe me, I know stuff."_**

 ** _"_** ** _All too many… But what about Kola then? Shouldn't he take a bath too?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Heh…. Heheheh…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You don't think to… Noooooo…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yes, Aya. Let him taste the fruit your grandfather had a full pantry of."_**

 ** _"_** ** _But Kola's mine…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Ugh, I won't steal him from you, heehee… And really, don't be so possessive about him. He's already loyal to you, and such flirting as he had with Katie wasn't harmful in any way. Men need to unwind, and he's rather sheltered in terms of intersexual contacts."_**

 ** _"_** ** _As am I, to be honest. I'm learning stuff myself too."_**

 ** _"_** ** _See? But sadly, we don't have any spare men for you to flirt with, heh."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I wonder how it is to do it with a girl though…?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Try it. All the sexually open girls in the unit would give their livers to have some one-on-one action with you, and you probably know who has the biggest_** **hard-on** ** _for you."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Sigi? I thought she said she gave me rest…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Would you just give up on something like that? Be realistic, Aya."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I suppose… And she probably just wants some sex… Okaaay theeen… Let's see how the day unfolds, and I'll see what can be done."_**

 ** _"_** ** _You should consider doing it with Giulietta too tomorrow, she'll be jealous."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Hmm… Suddenly I have a craving for those knockers of hers… Is that weird?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yoshika's genes are talking through generations, hahahaha! Your grandma had some proclivities towards breasts, but she was rather picky."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Heh… Picky how?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Only the big ones!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Geez, what a narrow_** **specialization** ** _… But still better then indiscriminately groping everyone."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Giulietta is better than her ancestors in the way that thanks to her gayness, she treats groping more as something sexual, and not as a form of_** **recreation** ** _. And she is older, that contributes too."_**

 ** _"_** ** _The next thing you'll tell me she_** **had** ** _somebody from this unit."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Weeeeeeeell… When you were busy with Maia, Sieglinde had some fun too…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn! No wonder they're not trying to kill each other anymore!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Right?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Ehhhh… But it's nice they're all of us are getting along in one way or another. I guess if we were to sit around here for a month, we would be tighter knit than a sect."_**

 ** _"_** ** _That's not to be ruled out. You all are nice girls that were forced to come here. If you were in one class in one school, hell, you would probably be the bane of the teachers!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Heehee… You know, I thought about continuing my education after the war and negotiating with my Karlslander friends to join me."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Just remember that they're all very intelligent too, nobody less than 130."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Nobody less? Weeeeeeell… So Sigi too?! I know that she's smart, but you know, all those muscles make a different impression to the bystander…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Heheh, yeah, if you saw her on a beach you would think she's as dumb as wet concrete. But that false cover sure protects a nice content."_**

 ** _"_** ** _So how much exactly?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Hundred and seventy."_**

 ** _"_** ** _What…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I know you're thinking about things like wasted potential, but she chose to develop her body, not her mind, since her genetics enable her to do so with stunning results…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah… Now that you say it, she always solved crossword puzzles like a typhoon…"_**

"Hey, Aya, whatcha thinking about so hard?" Giulietta mused and waved her hand before her eyes.

"Huh, what?"

"I said…"

"Yes, I know what you said. I just thought about the future," Aya smiled.

"Oh, then sorry for interrupting," the Romagnan said apologetically.

"No, no, I guess we should all get going."

"As per usual practice, half an hour of resting time, and off to your daily chores," Ellie said. "Unless you want to add something, Alissa? Or you, Toshiro?"

"Nothing," Alissa replied.

"Nothing from me too, Ellie. I have to _interview_ Elizabeth and Elwyn after the heat of yesterdays battle has dissipated."

"About the G11 and that enormous rifle?" Elwyn asked.

"Yeah, that."

"I'm ready to be interviewed any time!"

"And I can inter _view_ you any time too, heheheh…" Toshiro laughed creepily and got a double team slap to the back of the head from Alissa and Aya. "Oh get off my case… I'm almost reliving my youth here!"

"You don't have to defile each of us in the process, Grandpa."

"And times changed, you wouldn't get away with _doing_ a minor either," Alissa added.

"Minor you say…" Toshiro looked at Ellie and Katie.

Toshiro's corporal punishment was repeated and Aya adamantly said, "Still no, Grandma would be angry."

"What am I just witnessing right now?" Marie asked terrified.

"You don't know that my Grandpa was, and still is it seems, a _stud_?"

"Nooo?"

"Now you know," Aya shrugged. "Now, Grandpa, keep your pecker in your pants, and let's go back to the bedroom."

"I'm schooled by my own damn granddaughter and somebody who should know their place…" Toshiro stared especially viciously at Alissa.

"I'm protecting the chastity of the girls in the name of all women in the military," Alissa said firmly. **_"And besides, I can give you time with Toshiko any moment."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Toshiko Schmoshiko…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Remember, Toshiro, the age gap…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Right, right. It would be seriously wrong for me to bone any of the girls here, even Ellie or Katie."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Now, good boy. You deserved another meeting with Toshiko this night."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Giggity."_**

"Hey, Aya…"

"Not now, Kola," Aya whispered. "Sorry…"

"I've been gypped..."

"Not entirely," Aya smiled mysteriously and gave him a fast smooch on the cheek.

"And how am I supposed to understand that…?" he mumbled to himself.

Everyone went their way, and when they entered the bedroom, Toshiro asked, "Would it be better if we talked on your bunk or mine?"

"Uhhh… Errr…" Elwyn blushed after realizing something. "Both options are a bit awkward so…" she looked around and suddenly got enlightened. "Hey, there's still a spare bed!"

"Ah, yes, fast thinking there, Elwyn. Come on, Alissa will be our chaperone I guess."

"Damn straight," she said confidently, making Elwyn giggle.

The two went to the free bed, and under after making themselves comfortable, Toshiro asked, "So, how was the G11 in detail. I need some data from you, since I would like to submit it to the manufacturer."

"So I guess "Fucking kickass" won't cut it, huh?" Elwyn snickered like a certain medal loving cartoon dog.

"Nope, and besides, I could deduce as much from the bits and pieces of the conversation I've head during yesterday's supper."

"Darn indeed. So… I guess I'll have to be methodical about it…" she sighed. "Okay then, the good sides. I liked the inbuilt sights, since that's something very rare. I liked how the weapon behaves when shooting in burst mode, you know? The recoil kicks in just after the last round of the burst is fired off, so that's something unique too. And the gun has a darn sleek design! Hmmm… What else… The ammo weight is a plus side since I can carry a crapton plus one, and the big clips are nice too. I think that's all the positive stuff I can tell about it."

"Well, you pretty much said what I thought about it. So I guess now you'll stomp it into the ground, huh?"

"Well, not entirely, heheh… It's big, too damn big. I mean I operate an M60, but that sleek design is too bulky for a weapon that should exclusively be fired from an aimed position. Also the recoil in the burst mode when it comes, you won't miss it, no siree! And the spent mags were damn hot after I spent one in no time. You said that the casings are in fact the propellant, so I'm wondering if I wouldn't have fireworks like on the 4th of July is I fired another mag or two. Oh, and reloading the mag is a bit tricky, even the belt in the M60 is easier to pop in."

"That all?"

"Yessun," she nodded.

"I guess that's a big help from you, Elwyn. Yeah, ammo cook off still happens, although the ammo has been changed just last month. Thanks for the input."

"No problem, Toshiro," Elwyn smiled and ran off her way.

"Hey, Elizabeth?" Toshiro asked loudly.

"Hmmm, yes?" the Britannian lying on her back asked.

"Are you fit for a round of questions about the weapon you used yesterday?"

"I'm sorry but no, my head is a bit fuzzy…"

"Ah, okay then, your health has priority."

"Thank you, Toshiro."

He jumped over to his bunk and lied down on his back, but he only had a few seconds of respite, because Shinobu peeked over the edge of his bunk.

"Oh look, Mio's grandspawn, heheh… What's up?"

"Um, I would like to ask you one thing…"

"I hope it's not about _us_ , so to speak."

"No, no… It's about…" she lowered her voice. "How you boned Mio…"

"You want to know that? Why do you need that info, hmm?" Toshiro asked with unhidden curiosity.

"F-Future reference…" Shinobu blushed wildly.

"Well then, we both have some time to spare, so listen carefully…"

 **Commander's office**

"You sure put a good impression during breakfast, Ellie."

"Well, the pills worked I guess. And the coffee you served really invigorated me, so I think I'll live through the day somehow."

"Won't mind if I make a call?" Katie asked, pointing out the phone on the desk.

"To whom and why?" Ellie answered with a question of her own.

"I want to call Lily's mom, Melissa."

"I see. And I think I know your reasoning. But I decline it for now."

"Awwww, but why?"

"You might have not noticed it, my dear Kaśka, but it's just a few minutes past FIVE in Britannia. She sure would be thrilled to hear from you, but Jesus, not at this hour."

"Ah snap…" Katie smacked her face with her open palm. "You're right. I'll call her after training then."

"Good girl," Ellie smiled.

"And how about you and Tatiana, if I may ask?"

"Indeed, what about it… I'll invite her to have a chit-chat with me when she wakes up. I'll just unfold my hand of cards and speak openly."

"You think that's a good idea, just telling her "yo, I want to adopt ya, yo"?"

"If I said it like that she would probably crack up. This is a serious matter, and beating around the bush and pulling wool over her eyes would be borderline unfair and counterproductive."

"Indeed…" Katie pondered. "Well then, I'll leave you in your misery, and look up Lily."

"Talk about overprotective…"

"Pot, meet kettle. I want to see you in a year if your little ploy works out."

"We'll see how it works out in a year then," Ellie shrugged.

 **A bit later**

 **Bedroom**

"Time for us, Aya, Toshiro," Alissa said suddenly.

"Cooooming," Aya mused and started clothing herself.

"Yeah, whatever now…" Toshiro sighed and dropped off his bunk. "If I have to have a role in Aya's training, so be it."

"How are you feeling now, Lily?" Katie asked concerned.

"The same as five, ten, fifteen, twenty, and twenty-damn-five minutes ago. I won't die of a headache, Katie, calm down."

"Okay…" Katie mumbled with a sad face.

"Kitty, don't frown!" Nami cheered and patted her on the back. "Liz just needs some time alone with her problems, right?"

"Yes," the Britannian confirmed.

"So you're saying that I was… b-bothering you?" Katie asked with a shaking voice.

"Only with your overprotectiveness, but I do appreciate the fact you're with me," she smiled half-heartedly. "Really. Now go and train with the rest of the lasses, I'll join if I feel like it."

"Hah, first time ever somebody called me a "lass!"" Shinobu snickered.

"Whew… I thought you disliked me…" Katie sighed in relief. "Don't scare me like that!"

After receiving a nudge, Elizabeth retaliated the same way and said, "Go already, or I'll throw a fit. And believe me, you don't want that…"

"I think I know… Wait, wait, no more headaches for now," Katie covered her mouth. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Definitely tomorrow, Katie…"

Marie was about to unbutton her uniform, but then she realized something. She turned around and saw that Toshiro was still in the room, looking first at the ceiling, and then, he looked at her.

"Uuuuummmm… Toshiro, c-could you please leave?"

"Oh, riiiight…" he looked around carefully, and lo and behold, he was rewarded with the sight of Sieglinde hanging out her double-D's to dry, alongside the rest of her upper body.

"Not bad…" he murmured. "Sieglinde, nice abs."

"Why thank y… Waaaah! _Ein Perverser_!" she shrieked and turned around, protecting her _property_ at the same time.

"Toshiro, for fucks sake, come on already…" Alissa sighed.

"Yeah, Grandpa! Stop being a perv, and let's go!" Aya pouted.

"Yeah, yeah… Spoil my fun of watching a perfectly shaped body…" he sighed, took his coat and followed the two out.

"Hey, Sieglinde, everything okay?" Angela asked while placing her hand on her naked shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. I just had to act like I'm at least a bit shameful, right?" she turned around and grinned.

"Figures. You're just too proud of that body of yours, huh?"

"Yes! And hey, I could show it off to a hero, so now I have some bragging rights, heheheh…"

"I'd rather you didn't run around and bragging about it though," Shinobu said. "You know, Toshiro is married and stuff."

"Hey, you wanted to get drilled by him just a few days ago."

"Maybe. But now I have repented from my evil ways," Shinobu said with a confident voice. "Now it's only Neuroi and Kendo for me."

"Oh, Shino, not searching for a man of your own?" Nami asked while unbuttoning her uniform. "Look how Aya is happy with Kola!"

"I actually have an answer to that question prepared, my dear Nami. If by any chance, the gods decide to throw a man my way, and I will fall in love with him, I won't oppose their will. At the same time, I won't actively pursue a love interest until I have achieved the 10th dan in kendo."

"That could take a while… Shiiiinooooo… You know how I'll feel when my daughter or son will visit you and you won't have a kid of your own? Come oooon! You know how cool it would be for our kids to play together?!"

"I imagine…" Shinobu sighed. "Maybe your right? Maybe I SHOULD find a man and bear a child as fast as possible."

"Good idea," Sieglinde said. "You'll have that obstacle out of your way, and then you can hone your body to the max. Pregnancy is a major setback in both bodybuilding and competitive sports like your sword-fighting thing."

"You think so, Sieglinde?"

"Yup. Get knocked up, have a child, and go 200%!" Sieglinde said enthusiastically.

"Hmm… What about you?"

"Me? Well… I haven't really thought it through… It really depends. I don't want to be professional, I just want this body for myself… And maybe the lucky man that will accept me just like I am, heh…" Sieglinde said with a mellow voice. "A kid would be nice, but I really need to think this through. Maybe I should study first? Finish my education?"

"That would be the preferable course of action," Angela said. "If the Neuroi are defeated once and for all, we need to prepare for a normal life. We need to get some degrees, so we'll have it easier finding jobs, and just for us. You're intelligent, Sieglinde, and wasting that brain would be sinful."

"Yeah, I heard that already from someone…" Sieglinde replied with a sour face. "But I guess NOW we should change already, or Katie will rip us some new ones."

Nami approached her compatriot and quietly asked, "Say, Shino, what were you talking about with Toshiro back then?"

"You won't catch me dead repeating a line from that conversation," her face flared up with redness.

"That spicy? Hmmm…" Nami smiled mysteriously. "Oh whatever, I won't pry."

 _"_ _She'll tell me on her own anyway, heehee…"_

 **Runway**

"Oh, Kola is bored it seems," Toshiro said looking at the snowplow moving across the runway.

"What's he's doing is irrelevant right now," Alissa said. "You two just pave a straight path to the forest over there." Alissa pointed out a small forest in the north-west.

"Ah, brings back memories…"

Alissa smiled and said, "You already know what to do, jump to it. Aya, help your dear grandfather."

"Sure thing!"

Toshiro went ablaze and started walking alongside Aya, who was blowing away the snow with Rending Gales just like earlier. After just a few minutes, they found themselves in the forest. Toshiro summoned Oblivion Lost and asked, "Now, Alissa?"

"Yes. We only need a circle with a five-meter diameter though. No need to devastate this forest."

"Ah, crud. Well then, stand aside girls," he said and the blade of Oblivion Lost extended itself by a meter with a surge of magic, totaling to two and a half meters.

"Woah, Grandpa! How did you do that?" Aya asked with sparkling eyes.

"Livy taught me this trick. The extension is my own pure magic, solid only upon impact, so it doesn't wear me out. Now, shoo."

The two jumped back and Toshiro did a few revolutions around his own axis while swinging the sword around. Aya looked at it while diluting time and she was that those few spins were indeed a few hundred, and she saw that Toshiro winked towards her. After Toshiro stopped, perfect circle, free of snow and trees was available for them.

"I see that all the training you had with Livy profited greatly," Alissa clapped her hands briefly. "How about doing the same with two swords again?"

"Who am I, Rei?" Toshiro snorted.

"No, but Livy gave you enough training to be able to compete with her on equal footing."

"Isn't she a goddess by now? And doesn't she have like ten thousand years of training behind her? Because if she does, then go to hell."

"Won't tell," Alissa stuck out her tongue slightly.

"All's well that ends well…" Toshiro sighed.

"Do tell," Aya chimed in happily.

"Well…" Toshiro started but he was interrupted.

"Okay, end of the word games. Aya, now, you'll learn how to fly."

"Why?" she mused.

"Oh stop already," Alissa chuckled. "It's vital for you in case if you need to awaken your blade. At full power, even Toshiro's ion engines will give up."

"Hmmm?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow.

"At full power, underlined. Just awakening Hikarimaru is still a safe spot for them, but start adding aura's, and they will become a smoldering wreckage."

"Never tested them to such an extent, really. I did add a small margin of safety while I was testing it at my peak power, with my Celestial Aura on, but I guess with an Awakened sword AND the Celestial Aura it would be critical."

"See, Aya? You have enough arguments to learn how to fly."

"So, how do I do that?"

"You're a very smart girl, so I'll explain it on your level. You need to use your Magic Aura and literally want to lift off. Expanding the explanation, you need to distort the gravity around you and control the flow of your magic with your willpower. But don't overthink it, because too much thinking and you can crash easily."

"Sounds a bit difficult…" Aya said with a sour face.

"You learned how to awaken Hikarimaru in a few minutes; this will be literally nothing for you."

"Grandpa, how long did it take you?"

"Before or after Livy gave me an important tip?"

"Hmmm… Both?"

"I struggled for an hour just to lift off. But then Livy appeared…"

"Like this?" Livy's voice appeared from behind him.

He turned around with a sour face and said, "Yes, like this. Nice of you to come by in the flesh, Livylein."

"The pleasure is all mine, Master. Good morning, little Mistress," she waved towards Aya.

"Hi!" Aya cheered.

"So, after I got that tip, zip! Like a damn bottle rocket!" Toshiro laughed.

"Oh, can I get that tip, Livy?!"

"I'm sorry, but Kye would have my head if I interfered with your training, little Mistress."

"I want to see if you can figure it out on your own," Alissa said. "Now, chop chop."

Aya looked with big eyes towards Toshiro, receiving a reinsuring nod from him. She spread her hands to her sides and fired up the first stage of her aura. The convoluting mass of magic started moving violently around her whole body. At the same time, a small gust of wind could be felt coming from her. Toshiro held his fingers tightly, and after just a few seconds, Aya lifted herself from the ground.

"Damn impressive…" Toshiro said out of breath. "Holy fuck… Alissa, if a show of willpower would be an Olympic discipline, Aya would get all medals!"

"Those would be some Olympics, huh?" she smiled. "Okay, come down."

Aya disabled her magic and landed on the ground softly. Toshiro approached her and gave her a kiss on the forehead saying, "Proud as hell, that's my current state of mind."

"Heehee, thanks Grandpa…" she blushed slightly.

"But we still have a lot to do, Aya," Alissa said firmly. "Toshiro, you'll be assisting Aya."

"And you will be doing what exactly?"

"Chatting up with Livy. We sure didn't talk a bit, huh?" she looked at the other blonde goddess.

"Indeed, we haven't."

"Ugh, the humanity… Wait, the godity…"

 **3 hours later**

 **50000 meters ASL**

Aya and Toshiro were flying at an enormous height, clad in a heat bubble.

"You even learned to apply your heat thing remotely… You sure didn't dwindle thumbs, Grandpa."

"I had to get my proverbial hands busy with something, right? And I can't afford my dear granddaughter to get a cold in the middle of the war…"

"Yeah… I wish Kola could fly with us. The view here is magnificent! If only…" she paused and looked at Toshiro, who already cracked a mischievous grin. "Graaaaandpaaaa…"

"My dear granddaughter, I have already thought about it. I just waited for either of you to pull the topic up."

"But can you limit the speed of the EIF-02? I wouldn't want him to crash and burn just out of the hangar…"

"The control unit of my Striker has something I removed from yours, namely a small dial to regulate the output power. I figured that it won't be needed, since the EIF-03 was improved quite heavily."

"Oh, so he'll be able to join us?!"

"Yes Aya. Let's both land, and I'll fetch him, kay?"

"Okay!" Aya cheered and they started their rapid descent.

Aya managed to reach Mach 4, but then Toshiro asked, "Want to try faster?"

"Is it even possible? I thought that Free Flight is rather limited…"

"I have the power of a god, Aya," Toshiro smiled roguishly. "I can fly in a whole different manner."

"Show me!" Aya cheered.

Toshiro grabbed her hand tightly and roared, "Hold tight!"

The Celestial Aura enveloped him, and they accelerated by a tenfold immediately.

"Woaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Aya screamed in panic. "Whaaat theeeee?!"

"The Celestial Order enables me to do MANY things, Aya!" Toshiro laughed and they stopped in place suddenly.

"Woah…" Aya gasped. "Wait, Grandpa…. Shouldn't that stop hurt me a lot?"

"Also my power," Toshiro winked.

"Why do you want to recreate the SFS then?" Aya asked. "As a mental challenge?"

"Yup, only because of that. The SFS is just a rag for me right now."

"I wonder if I could fly so fast…" Aya pondered.

"Train, train, train…" Toshiro repeated. "You are the Allgod's Chosen, you are capable of such fast flight."

"I will!" Aya said vigorously. "Let's return to Kyelissa already, kay?"

"Sure."

Just after they returned to Alissa, she asked. "So you want Kola to have his first flight, hmm, Aya?"

"Yes!" Aya cheered.

"Okay, Toshiro, bring him over. Livy, methinks you have to go."

"Was nice chatting with you again, Kye. See you soon!"

"Yeah, bye!"

Toshiro disappeared, and Alissa said, "Go to the hangar. You want to hold his hands after all, right?"

"Oh, right! Thanks for the tip!"

 **Corridor**

Toshiro was strolling down the corridor as if he owned the place, and he knocked on the door to Kola's room.

"Yeah?"

"Your future family," Toshiro replied.

"Ah, come in."

Toshiro opened the door and entered his room. It was filled with the scent of solder, and Kola was sitting behind his small desk, working on something.

"What would you say to flying, Kola?"

"Flying… Flying… Hmmm… No?"

"Oh? Such a big guy is scared?" Yuki said.

"What the fuck was that?" Kola asked a tad surprised.

"Yuki, Toshiro's familiar. I can communicate with people using air vibrations."

"Well now… That's a bit convenient…"

"Believe me; you don't want to have her as a familiar," Toshiro said.

"Ugh, Bianca is already occupying my brain enough, thanks. But seriously, why should I fly? I have never flown a Striker, and with my age, I most likely never will."

"Ah, come on, it's fun! Aya wanted you to fly with her. Do you want to disappoint your fiancé?"

"Errrr… Well… I guess not… But what about a Striker?"

"You can use mine; I don't even need it to be honest."

"If it's really as fast as I heard, then I'm out, Toshiro. And what do you mean by not needing a Striker?"

"Heheheh… Alissa, Aya, and yours truly have a top-secret ace up our sleeves, heheheh… And I can just limit the output of the engines by 90%, no problem with that."

"That will still be damn fast…"

"I don't have a mother fucking biplane Striker with me. Are you coming, or should I kick you so hard you'll fly there?" Toshiro asked irritated.

"Yeah, okay…" Kola sighed. "But…"

"Enough with the fucking buts already! Are you a man or a pussy?"

"But I really have a valid concern!"

"Yeah?"

"My pants… I don't have any shorts…" Kola mumbled.

"I have spares, roughly the same size as yours I guess. Take your coat, don't bother with a cap. I'll make a stop at the bedroom, but you go straight to the hangar. Actually, run."

"Like run run?"

"Yeah, go!"

Kola shot up from his chair, grabbed his coat, and ran out of the room.

 _"_ _Ugh…"_

 _"_ _Now seriously, the guy is really scared."_

 _"_ _I noticed. But if he's a damn wizard, he should know how to fly a Striker. You never know if it actually won't be handy."_

 _"_ _You're right, T-man. And his familiar is almost pissing herself from joy that she will actually be used for a change."_

 _"_ _You were talking to her?"_

 _"_ _Yup, the whole time. She said she'll handle the Striker for him, or at least she'll try."_

 _"_ _I should also teach him about his shield."_

 _"_ _You think he'll_ have _to use it?"_

 _"_ _Yuki, after all what we have experienced, do you think there's nothing that couldn't surprise us?"_

 _"_ _No fucking way…"_

Toshiro unplugged the soldering iron, and he went to the bedroom. He pulled out his spare shorts from his bag, and just as he was to exit, he heard a voice saying, "Good morning."

He turned his head to the right and saw Tatiana slowly standing up from her bed.

"And a good morning to you too, Tatiana."

"Going to teach Kola flying, hmmm?"

"And how… Say, you still haven't removed those bugs, right?"

"Heheh, sorry, Toshiro, but the bugs have to stay in case of a surprise inspection. My own curiosity is to blame, and I apologize on eavesdropping on you."

"Fair enough, you little rascal," Toshiro smiled warmly. "Go and eat a breakfast with your sleepy friend."

"I will do just that. Have fun."

"Oh I hope so…"

He walked out into the corridor, and then outside. After taking a few steps, he could see Kola halfway to the hangar.

 _"_ _Time to run a bit myself."_

Toshiro kicked off and started running twice as fast as Kola. When only ten meters from him, Kola suddenly turned his head around, but he saw nothing.

"Yo," Toshiro said suddenly from his side.

"What the?!"

"Don't break up your pace," Toshiro said calmly.

"Yeah, sure… But you damn freaked me out, and you know it."

"Heh, sorry, but the childish part of me simply yelled to do so."

"I guess… So, those are the shorts I'll wear?" Kola asked while looking at the grey shorts peeking out from Toshiro's coat pocket.

"Exactly those."

"Did you at least wash them?" Kola smirked.

"Yoshika would rip my head off if I paraded in dirty clothes," Toshiro shrugged.

After a bit, they ran into the hangar.

"So I'll be flying in that one?" Kola pointed out Toshiro's Striker, which was propped against Aya's Launch Unit.

"Exactly. Change those pants of yours already."

"Oh, I can help with that!" Aya popped up from behind her Launch Unit.

"You want to get into my pants already? It's not even noon, girl!"

"Hey, you wanted to drill me after breakfast!" Aya pouted.

"After breakfast? Have some dignity…" Toshiro sighed. "Before breakfast - that I understand."

"You two creep me out… I'll change by my own damn self, thank you."

"Just wait a second," Toshiro said and laid his hand on the Launch Unit.

After a brief flash of magic, he said, "Okay, now you can step on here, I warmed it up."

"Convenient, thanks," Kola said. "Shorts?"

"Here you go," Toshiro presented him with the pair of shorts. "Just don't rip them in half."

"I would have to get a surprise boner," he grinned.

"Ha! Aya, don't tease him now!"

"Heehee… That would actually be beneficial…" she smiled mysteriously.

While Kola was changing his pants, Toshiro took the control panel for his Striker. He pulled a small knob on the side, turned it all the way to the left, and depressed it.

"That was all to it?" Aya asked.

"Yup, just a single little knob. Now the power of the engines is only a tenth of its awesomeness. And it's not only a limiter, it's also a different engine preset."

"Give me something with a carburetor; this is damn _chernaya magiya_ … _"_ Kola grumbled.

"Ooooh, Kola! You'll be flying with me!" Aya cheered. "I promise you, this will be sooooo fun!"

"I'm dead scared of it to be honest…" he mumbled quietly.

"Awwww, don't worry, I'll hold your hand all the time."

"I can even hold your hand too," Toshiro smirked.

"Oh, a serious bromance is brewing?" Yuki asked.

"Shut up!" both Kola and Toshiro yelled in accord.

Aya started laughing so hard she almost started tumbling on the floor of the hangar. The two guys looked at each other and shrugged amazed.

"Okay, come on, jump inside," Toshiro said and picked up his Striker.

"Oh, Grandpa, I'll do it!" Aya stopped laughing immediately and ran up to Toshiro.

"Have it your way, Sweetie."

Aya grabbed the Striker Legs and said, "Just jump inside. The feeling you'll experience at first is really weird, but don't worry, everything is okay."

"If you say so," Kola said and jumped into the Striker. "Woaaaah, I feel like my legs vanished! So this is that Portable Dimension Generator thing I heard about?"

"Yup," Aya replied. "Grandpa, give him the control thing."

"Here," Toshiro gave the item to Kola.

"I just strap it on like a watch?"

"No, like a condom," he snickered.

"Graaandpaaaa…" Aya moaned. "Yes Kola, like a watch."

"Sure," he said and did it. "Now what?"

"Press and hold the big red button for a second."

Kola pressed the button, and a quiet whiz was heard from the Striker.

"Oooh, it's on already?" he asked carefuly.

"Yes. Now, your familiar told Yuki that she will try to keep your magic in reins, but you have to give an order anyway. Think about revving up an engine. Like pressing the accelerator pedal. GENTLY!"

Kola concentrated, and he budged from place. He flailed his arms a bit, but he managed to catch balance.

"Woah, I'm taxying!"

"Yay!" Aya cheered.

"But your speed is that of a crippled tortoise. Bianca, give him a bit more juice."

Kola instantly accelerated to a fast walk pace.

"Very good. Kola, you'll be taxying out of the hangar, and then we'll join you in flight."

"But you don't have… Oh, you said something about that..."

"Heehee, you'll be surprised, my dear Koly-woly," Aya snickered.

"Koly-woly! Bahahahahaha!" Yuki cackled.

"Your familiar really ticks me off," Kola looked at Toshiro.

"Proudly pissing off Toshiro and company since 1944!" Yuki said with obvious pride. "Bianca, more juice!"

Kola now accelerated to a jogging pace, and said, "I'm still under control. That's good."

"Kola, a bit faster, kay?" Aya asked.

"Sure, Sweetie. Bianca, a notch up please."

He accelerated to a running speed, and Aya said, "Good, keep that speed!"

With his entourage, Kola taxied onto the runway.

"Stop just there!" Toshiro said.

Kola slowly decelerated and started having trouble with his balance again. Aya and Toshiro ran up to him and supported his weight.

"Don't worry Bro, it's a bit tricky to balance in a Striker on idle revs, but you'll get a hang of it."

"I just want one flight for now."

"Oh and you'll get it!" Aya cheered. "Grandpa, ready?"

"Ready. Kola ready?"

"I think…" he said with a bleak face.

Toshiro and Aya nodded to each other, and they fired up their basic auras. Kola felt as his arms were getting raised a bit and he looked at Aya, who redirected his gaze down.

"Woah, you're levitating!"

"Heehee…"

"You know, I have a joke for this occasion."

"Save it for the flight," Toshiro said. "Kola and Bianca, I want you to accelerate slowly but decisively. Try to lift off the runway on your own, although even with 1/10th of its power, this Striker would still perform a vertical take-off, like some of the production Strikers."

"Will do!" Kola said confidently and punched forward.

Aya and Toshiro, still holding Kola, were following him from his sides. The runway started ending quickly, so Kola asked, "How do I lift off?"

"Just jump!" both shouted at the same time.

He jumped up, and immediately he started ascending.

"Holy shit tits! _Gospodin pomiluj_ (God have mercy)!" Kola shouted excited.

"Ahahaha!" Aya laughed. "Nice, huh?"

"So fast! So damn fast!"

"Now tilt yourself, and even out the flight," Toshiro said.

Kola tilted himself slightly towards the ground and he now flew completely horizontally.

"Total insanity… Aya, did you feel like this the first time you flew a Striker?"

"Heh, yes, although Aya Two took over back then. But I felt everything, despite her having control over my body. Totally ecstatic," Aya said with a mellow smile. "Grandpa, we're doing this?"

"If you mean this…" he let go of Kola. "Then yes."

Aya immediately released her fiancé, and he started flying on his own.

"Do a barrel roll!" Toshiro said.

"Okay, I'll try!" Kola coiled up himself, and instead of a complete spin, he spun three and a half times. "Bleh, I'm getting sick…" he said doing a half spin, bringing himself into an upright position.

"Oh don't worry, you'll get used to it," Aya patted him on the back.

"Now bank to the right, we need to stay in our area of duty," Toshiro commanded. "Gently."

Kola banked delicately, and soon, they were heading back in the direction they came from.

"You know, about that joke…"

"Later!" Aya cheered. "Grandpa, let's do this!"

"Aye!"

They both grabbed Kola's arms, and Toshiro reset the power output for the EIF-02.

"Three, two, one, let's jam!" Toshiro shouted and they took off like a missile.

"Jeeeeeeeeesuuuuuuuus!" Kola screamed.

"Full power ahead, Kola, or I'll give you a cold shoulder!" Aya shouted.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" he said and accelerated even faster.

After a moment, an orange film enveloped all of them.

"What's this?" Kola asked.

"So we won't die of hypothermia or asphyxiation. We're already at twenty thousand meters, Kola." Toshiro explained.

"How high?!"

"I didn't order to jump!" Toshiro laughed.

"Don't worry, dearest, we'll just go to forty thousand for now."

"The altitude is too damn high!"

"Oh shush you pansy. I was once at the Kármán Line, and I didn't give a flat fuck. You can close your eyes. Actually, do it either way."

"Ugh, okay…" Kola sighed and closed his eyes.

After seconds that were like minutes to him, Kola heard, "Okay, open your eyes, dear, and stop accelerating. We got you."

Kola opened his eyes and his mouth followed afterwards. "Increeeeedible… What a view… I feel like a cosmonaut."

"Heh… So, tell that joke already," Toshiro smiled.

"Ah, okay. So, a boy asks a kung-fu master, "Master, will you teach me kung-fu?" The master kind of didn't want it, so he replied, "First you have to work on your concentration. Contemplate the sunrises and sunsets for a year. The boy went away, and after a year, he returns and asks, "Master, I have do what you've told me. Am I ready now?" And the master replies, "You have to work on your willpower," The boy ventures forth, and after three years, he returns and says, "Master, for three years I have worked on my willpower. I walked on hot coals, slept on ice, sat on cacti, pulled tiger tails et cetera," to which the master responds, "Learn how to levitate." The boy frowned, but he went on his journey. He returns after ten years and says, "Master, look!" and he starts levitating. The master looks at him and says, "Oh fuck…!""

Both Aya and Toshiro were now bent in half laughing like mad, and Kola started to fear for his own safety, but they still held him.

"Motha fucka… That was good!" Toshiro slammed him on the back. "So, are we going back, Aya."

"Sure! We need to take a bath!"

"The three of us again?" Kola asked.

"And Alissa."

"And Alissa?!" Toshiro and Kola asked in sync.

"Sure, she agreed. And I agreed to her agreement. Kola, Alissa is very open, so don't worry. But don't try anything funny, you're out of your league by a universe."

"Er… Okay…"

"I know that she's shameless at times, but sheesh…" Toshiro sighed. "Okay big guy, let's go back."

* * *

 **A random Cowboy Bebop reference appears!**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	41. Chapter 41 – Closest to a mother

Chapter 41 – Closest to a mother

* * *

Kola taxied up to the Launch Unit of Aya and propped himself against it with his back.

"Ho damn… My legs are shaking like jelly during an earthquake…"

"That's understandable," Toshiro said. "Not every day two nuts send you on a supersonic trip into the mesosphere."

"But did you like it, Kola?" Aya asked impatiently.

"Yes, I liked it. Especially you gripping my hand so tight."

"Ah, you know…" Aya blushed. "I couldn't afford you to fly off somewhere…"

"No doubt about that. Now, how do I get out of this high tech contraption? I don't want to break the damn thing."

"Turn around, hoist yourself up on your hands, and we'll take care of it," Toshiro said. "With those arms of yours it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"I sometimes do hands stands on one hand when I'm alone."

"Hey, nice!" Aya cheered.

"Heh, we don't need that right now," Toshiro smiled. "Now, get to it."

As Kola did what was expected of him, Aya and Toshiro both pulled off one Leg of the Striker, and Kola dropped down.

" _Chyort_ , sure feels weird to stand on your own two legs right now…"

"That bath will most likely fix it," Aya mused.

"Or _Alissa_ will break them if you try something funny, heheh…"

 **Fifteen minutes later**

 **Gym**

"That's all for today!" Sieglinde shouted. "Good work as usual!"

"Wheeew… That was tiresome…" Elizabeth slumped down on the floor near Katie.

"But it's nice you could train for these two hours. How are you feeling?"

"Oh don't start that one again… I'm feeling like usual after Sieglinde's training – pumped out but somewhat satisfied."

"So let's go burn off that fatigue in the bath, hmm?"

"Oh, Liz, want a massage?" Nami popped out of nowhere from behind Katie.

"I hope it's not some kind of erotic massage?" Elizabeth asked suspicious. "I heard what you're capable of, Nami."

"Oh please, Liz, you'll get a normal massage from me. Unless…"

"No thanks, no unless. I'll take the normal one, period."

"Did you just try to violate my cousin?" Katie asked a bit shocked.

"Only if she let me, Kitty," Nami smiled innocently.

"This conversation is getting weirder by the moment… Okay, I guess we should go and take that bath."

"No can do, sisters," Shinobu said from the door. "The bath is occupied for, I quote, a private bathing session."

"Huh? From when?" Katie asked surprised.

"I don't know, but the sign on the door to the bath says so. And it's signed by both Alissa and Toshiro."

"Woah shit, I wouldn't even dare to touch the door handle!" Sieglinde said terrified.

 **In the mean time**

 **Bath**

"Ohhh… Toshiro… There…" Ellie moaned.

"Ellie, please stop moaning as if Grandpa is _perusing_ you…" Aya mumbled with a red face.

"But he's massaging me so… oooooh…" Ellie gave out a moan so sensual that Aya's hair almost stood up.

"Now I think I know how you got persuaded to take this bath…" Kola muttered.

"Two guys with athletic bodies and big cocks, or two girls with athletic bodies and rather nice boobs. You wouldn't?" Alissa asked.

"I feel strange here… And Toshiro on the other hand looks like he's about to attain nirvana…"

"I thrive in the company of beautiful women," Toshiro said. "Ellie, if I asked you if we could have sex, what would you say now?"

"Now? I don't know… Maybe? Hmmmmm… That's the spot."

"See, Kola? I love women, and women love me. And I'm almost fifty six, hah!"

"You look more like… aahhh… somewhat around thirty," Ellie said.

"I hear that all the time. Kola, why don't you massage your fiancé? She trained hard today, so she deserves a good time."

"You can treat it as foreplay," Alissa whispered to him.

"What's that?" he whispered back.

"Right… Whatever, you'll see in due time. Now go get her, tiger."

Aya turned around, revealing her perfectly shaped rear, and looked at Kola with puppy eyes.

 _"_ _Don't get a boner… Don't get a boner…"_

 **Gym**

"Since the bath is occupied right now, I'll go to the office. The rest of you I encourage to go to the dining hall and drink some water," Katie said.

"Okay, I will personally see to it," Shinobu said.

Katie ran down the corridor and entered the office. Nobody was inside, so she just sat in Ellie's chair as if it was her own and she dialed zero on the phone.

"Hello, operator? I want to talk to Melissa Moore from Warwickshire, Britannia."

"May I know your name, ma'am? It's needed for payment purposes," a polite young female voice said.

"Major Katie Kowalski from the 777th IFW."

"Thanks you, ma'am. Please wait a minute or two."

Katie leaned back in the chair and waited patiently, toying around with the spiral cable of the phone receiver.

"Hello?" a familiar voice asked through the phone.

"Uh, hello, Cousin Melissa…" Katie started shyly.

"Cousin Melissa… Hmmm… I know only of a few people who can call me that, but let me guess… Katie?"

"Heh, you've guessed right, Cousin."

"Oh please, just call me Melissa."

"Okay, Melissa," Katie almost sighed in relief.

"So, how's life in the military?" Melissa asked casually.

"Rather good, I must say. I'm a Major and an executive officer in my unit."

"Well, that's nice. So, why are you calling me from the dead morning after all these years?"

"Ugh… It's about Lily…" Katie said quietly.

"What about her?"

"You know, she's my subordinate right now."

"Really?! So the unit she was transferred to is the one you're now in?"

"Yup, the same."

"Oh my, did she do something? I hope not…" Melissa asked concerned.

"No, no, she's a good girl. But I have questions about her amnesia."

"It must have been a shock for you…" she sighed.

"Yeah, it was indeed… But she is regaining more and more memories from her past. She even recalled the accident itself."

"Oh my… How is she now?"

"She had a massive headache today, but she managed to train with the rest of us for the past two hours."

"Oh my poor Lizzy…"

"Don't worry, Melissa, I'm taking care of her to the point that she started shooing me away, heehee…"

"Thank you, Katie, I don't know what would happen if she went to another unit…"

"She would be fine as a soldier, believe me. Also, she's social and well behaving. No commander would have problems with her."

"Um, that's not entirely true…"

"Let me guess – her temper at times?"

"Yes, she sometimes explodes so violently that even her drill officers blushed."

"Weellll… She had an episode like that already… She got some KP duty."

"Ugh…" Melissa sighed.

"So, returning to her amnesia, did the doctors say anything I should know about, and that she doesn't know about?"

"No, no, we were perfectly honest with Lizzy regarding everything, that you can be sure of. She's just like you probably experienced her, nothing more, and nothing less."

"I see…"

"It's really fateful that you two met," Melissa said joyfully.

"Yeaaaah… I unlocked her fire magic by the way."

"You did? How did she do?"

"Good. Nobody was hurt, nothing was damaged, and I'm slowly teaching her about the applications of her magic in combat," Katie explained.

"Whew, that's a load off my heart…"

"And guess what happened today!"

"I can't possibly know."

"After recovering the memories of the accident, her hemophobia vanished!"

"Oh my God… That's splendid news! You know how much that's bothersome during her period? Dear Lord! Hah, what fine news!"

"Heheh… So, have anything to talk about, Melissa?"

"Hmmm… Let me see… No, I guess nothing, at least not from the light topics. Grandma and her sister are fine, and your mum called me lately for some late night gossiping, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Oh, that's nice… I forgot about checking in on Mom… Snap!"

"Don't worry, Katie, she's perfectly fine."

"Thanks, Melissa. Okay, I have to end, or I'll pay an arm and a leg for this call."

"Thank you for the call, Katie! Good luck with yourself and Lizzy!"

Katie dropped the receiver on the phone and exhaled deeply.

 _"_ _I thought it would be harder, but Melissa is still a nice woman. Well then, let's see if the bath is free."_

 **Bath**

"Mmmm… Yes, a bath before noon is definitely something I should practice more," Ellie said. "Especially when I'm sleep deprived."

"You're sleep deprived? Didn't notice…" Aya said.

"Secret KGB techniques," Ellie chuckled. "And the view in the bath was tremendous, heeheehee…" she giggled while looking at Kola and Toshiro.

"Sorry we couldn't serve you though," Toshiro smirked.

"Graaaandpaaaaa…" Aya moaned in disdain. "Will you ever stop?"

"Let your grandfather vent, Aya," Ellie said with a smile. "Despite his cheeky behavior, he's a nice guy, and definitely harmless around friends, right Toshiro?"

"How nice of you to notice this so quickly, Ellie," Toshiro grinned. "Aya isn't used to my shenanigans yet, or she's just putting on air."

"Oh pfff… Putting on air he says…" Aya puffed her cheeks.

"You're so much more fun in private, Aya," Ellie said. "Come on; let's get out already, the girls want to bathe."

"Wait a second," Kola said and put on his shoes. "Done."

"Everyone ready, so let's go," Alissa said.

The quintet of bathers walked up to the door, and Ellie went out first.

"Oh, is the bath free already?" Marie, sitting on the floor before the door asked.

"Yes, you can go in already. But you're alone here?"

"I'm the stakeout," Marie smiled and stood up. "Ummm… Did you all bathe together?" she asked baffled.

"Yes," Ellie answered. "An experiment so to say. But don't worry your pure maidens mind, nothing indecent happened."

"Oh, okay ma'am," Marie said and turned towards the dining hall.

"Okay, so… We'll be leaving you…" Aya said shyly. "Right, Kola?"

"Yeah…"

"Ugh, just be quiet," Toshiro said. "I don't want to have hairy thoughts about my own granddaughter getting boned."

"Grandpa, how can you even think about it?!"

"Trust me, Aya, if you walked into a pub dressed in a skirt and with some make up, the chiropractors in the city would get rich."

"Heeheehee… I see what you did there. Oh okay, we'll try to be quiet at least, we can't guarantee complete silence…"

"At least I'll try, I can't vouch for Aya," Kola smirked devilishly.

She gave him an elbow to the side and said, "Kolaaaaa… Don't drag out our love life into the public…"

"We're all friends here, Aya," Ellie said. "Unless…" she started turning her head to the side slowly.

"No, no, you're my friend, Ellie. It's just embarrassing…"

"Heh, I'm just pulling your leg. Run already or you'll be subjected to even more unrefined comments."

Aya grabbed Kola's hand and ran off with him to his room.

"Somebody remind me why I'm allowing Aya to have sex on the grounds of a military unit?" Ellie asked the two left with her.

"Because you're a good girl?" Alissa asked.

"Or maybe because of your liberal attitude towards some things?" Toshiro added.

"I wonder what would result in the marriage of you two…" Ellie pondered.

"I wouldn't want to be in the same universe if that came to fruition…" Toshiro said with a sour face.

"Me marry Toshiro? I prefer redhead guys," Alissa said calmly.

"You two must be really tight friends. It takes a best bud to bicker so much about each other and not kill one another."

"We go a bit back," Toshiro said indifferently.

"We met each other before Aya was sent to the military. I was sent to persuade Aya's parents to let her go, although her mental state made her theoretically unfit for duty."

"Care to tell me about it?" Ellie asked.

"Maaaaybe one day, right, Toshiro?"

"Yeah, some other time."

"Don't you have something to do?" Alissa asked Ellie and winked covertly.

"Me? Ah, yes, I do have something important to do! Thanks for the refresher, Alissa! Oh, and thanks once again for the massage, Toshiro. I feel like I can pull through the day now!"

"Everything to pleasure a friend," he said and observed as she disappeared into the dining hall. "You know something, Kye."

"She wants to adopt Tatiana."

Toshiro went silent for a few seconds and said, "Very noble of her. And I guess no arguments against won't work, huh?"

"She just wants Tatiana to be happy. Would you adopt her yourself?"

"First, I would transport her to Sanya, so she can reconcile with her a bit. Then I would ask Yoshika. But if Tatiana's welfare depended on it, I would take her into my own home in an instant, and then think about the aftermath."

"Your golden heart must be weighing you down, Toshiro," Alissa smiled warmly.

"You're not one to discuss such things with me, Kye. The shit you've pulled off puts you in the same drawer as me."

"Indeed," she giggled. "Come on, let's lie down. Separately."

"Yeah, Doran would smoke my ass if I even thought about you in a sexual context. I wonder if that red haired son of a bitch is still a bartender in my world…"

"Nope, he quit this world after you defeated Xadea. Missing your best man?"

"I could probably drink with him, now that I'm immune to alcohol and that you decided to bust into my world again."

"I'll see what can be done," Alissa said and the girls started swarming out of the dining hall, much to Toshiro's delight. "Come on, Pervshiro, you had enough of young girl's bodies for one day."

"Yes mom…" he sighed and followed her to the bedroom.

 **Dining Hall**

Only Tatiana, Aina, and Ellie were left in the spacious room. Tatiana was just finishing her late breakfast, so Ellie said, "Come with me to my office, Tatiana."

"Mmm, is this important, ma'am?"

"Yes, very important," Ellie answered with all the seriousness she could muster.

Tatiana chugged down the last bit of tea she had left and said, "Okay, I'm ready."

"Follow me."

They went down the corridor in silence, although Tatiana could swear she heard a creak coming from Kola's room. Ellie opened the door to her office and pointed inside.

"Sit on the chair in the corner," she said.

Tatiana slowly walked forward, and she heard the door closing behind her quietly. She sat on the edge of the chair. She looked at Ellie, who grabbed her own chair and placed it before her. After taking a seat, she leaned over towards Tatiana and asked, "How are you today, Tatiana?"

"Good, ma'am. I can't complain," she answered uncertainly.

"That's nice," Ellie said calmly. "Now, Tatiana, I have something very important to discuss with you. The matter can have impact on both our lives, so I want you to take it seriously, but don't be afraid, it's not directly connected with your work for the KGB."

"Ooookay, ma'am," Tatiana said slightly intrigued and relieved.

"I have been doing some thinking for the past two days. I have been thinking about you, Tatiana."

"H-How did I deserve such attention?"

"Tell me, what's your current family status?"

"But you probably know all of that, ma'am…"

"Spell it out for me, maybe I have some blanks," Ellie said calmly.

"Well… Both of my parents are dead. I have Grandma Sanya, and a grandmother from my father's side, but she hates me. I have my granduncle too but… We've only met once to be honest. I use that connection as a deterrent, to elevate my status, but that man is my relative only by name right now."

"But he is blood related, right?"

"No. Sergey Sokolov had a younger brother, Vladimir."

"Sanya's divorced husband, right?"

"Yes."

"I see… So no blood relation between the two of you…" Ellie pondered.

"Pardon, ma'am, but why are you digging into my family situation like that?"

"Because the matter I want to discuss is all about you, Tatiana. So to recap, you only have one person you would turn to in a pinch, right?"

"Yes, Grandma Sanya," she confirmed.

"You see…" Ellie gently took her right hand. "I see how you react when I show you some warmth."

"But mo… ma'am!"

"See? You wanted to call me mom just now, despite the fact that I only bear a physical resemblance to her. Tell me, Tatiana, do you miss your mom."

Tatiana went silent, but almost immediately, a large stream of tears started flowing down from her eyes.

"Yes…" she squeezed out of her constricted throat. "Very… She… She was t-too young to d-die… A-And I saw her so in-infrequently after I got into the KGB… I miss Mommy so much…"

Ellie had to keep her own emotions in check as she asked, "Tatiana, if I could become your family, at least replace your mother as a figurehead, would you accept me?"

"W-What do you m-mean, ma'am?"

"Tatiana, I want to adopt you," Ellie said with overbearing confidence.

Ellie had the feeling that the stream of tears that was slowly drying up burst into a raging torrent once she said those words. The Leh lifted up Tatiana and after taking a seat, she placed her on her lap.

"What do you say, Tatiana? This will be a hard time for us when we will be on the run, but together we could make it. And after it all settles down, maybe I could send you back to school? You would have a normal home. Maybe I would find a man of my own, and you would have a new father? And I promise that I would screen him from top to bottom. And then later…"

"Please stop…" Tatiana said and hugged her tightly. "Please don't give me false hopes… I have enough of lies in my life…"

"But Tatiana…. I'm telling you the truth. All my words are sincere, and coming from the bottom of my heart."

"I know… I know, I know! But how do you think we can live a normal life after we defect from the KGB? How?! They have assassins like me ready for such occasions. I may have been the best, but I received info that they found a replacement for me, and she's just damn twelve! I know you want the best for me… Hell, if it weren't for the situation with the KGB, I would accept it just like that! But I can't… You know that we will be on the run for the rest of our lives… And if we settle down, we'll be like sitting ducks…"

"You're right…" Ellie said with resignation. "It was foolish of me to think that we could find happiness while on the run from this murderous organization… Forget we had this conversation… Go back to your room, Tatiana."

Tatiana suddenly smiled brightly, and said, "Why should I, Mom?"

"W…"

"I lied to you a little bit. There's nobody else beside me even as half as capable as me. There are no replacements for me, nor is anybody trained in my place. I am the only witch assassin in the whole organization. Now, think. I've been there for all these years. Even you, passive as you are, know how all that shabam works. We can outwit them any time and any place, Mom. We can put up a fight! And what about Toshiro? He told us he will guarantee our safety. What about that?"

"W-Well… I think he can be trusted…" Ellie shook her head to clear her thoughts. ""Mom…" You know how that words sounds in my ears? It's like angels singing a hymn to the Creator…"

"Heehee… So… Will we say anything to anybody?"

"Alissa knows, and Toshiro will probably know, or he'll have to know. But we can drop the formalities before everyone anyway."

"Deal! I always wanted to call you "Ellie"!"

"Okay, okay, but just for formalities – you agree to be adopted by me, right?"

"Yup, with all consequences, Ellie," Tatiana said seriously. "Grandma Sanya doesn't have to take me in, an additional burden. My parents are dead. I still have a few years until I'm an adult. And even afterwards, when I invite people to my wedding, won't it be nice if I invite my mother?"

Now, Ellie's eyes watered up so quickly that it almost hurt and she hugged Tatiana tighter than ever before.

"I promise you that I'll be the best replacement for your mother as it can be possible!"

"Nobody can replace her… But you can be the second best…" Tatiana said warmly and returned the embrace.

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	42. Chapter 42 – Enter the Dragon

Chapter 42 – Enter the Dragon

* * *

 **Bath**

"You think there was an orgy here? Ridiculous…" Shinobu said.

"It's not impossible," Giulietta said. "But I wonder what hardware Toshiro packs…"

"Suddenly turning straight?" Sieglinde asked. "Well that's new!" she snickered.

"Hey, I'm wavering…" Giulietta mumbled. "And I'm just curious, as a woman."

"Geez, you sure have some hot topics in the bath," Katie sighed and looked at Elizabeth. "Nami doing you good, Lily?"

"This oriental massage thing is really helping, I must say. I don't feel my headache, and actually I'm a bit airheaded now…"

"Just like that time you stared at a bug so hard the ice cream you had melted straight off to the ground and… Oh fuck…" Katie covered her mouth as she saw a small trickle of blood coming out of Elizabeth's nostril.

"Hmm? Yeah, I cried like a baby back then and you bought me a new one, an even bigger, heehee… But why are you so terrified? And why did I remember that suddenly?"

"You're nose is bleeding," Marie said a bit disgruntled.

"Seriously? I don't feel anything," Elizabeth wiped the space under her nose. "Damn, I'm really bleeding. But why didn't I feel a headache as usual?"

"That would still be me," Nami said. "If I stop pressing this specific point I'm holding, there's a chance it will happen."

"Either that or a nosebleed… I don't want to pollute the water with my blood, so…"

"No, wait, I have a tissue in my uniform, I'll get it!" Katie ran out of the water quickly.

"Why is she running around like a headless chicken?" Elwyn asked.

"Of two evils, a nosebleed and a headache, Katie thinks that the hemorrhage is the lesser one. And I think that's true, since nobody died of both, but the first option is definitely less painful. You can go to combat with your nose running red, but you can't exactly focus when your head wants to vacate the premises, can you?"

"Sounds legit," Elwyn replied.

"Kitty is such a good cousin," Nami said softly. "She's more a big sister, right?"

"Yes, definitely. A bit overprotective but still a great big sis."

"I'm baaaaaaaaa…!" Katie shouted as she slipped on the floor.

Elwyn disappeared from the bath and reappeared supporting Katie.

"Damn you, girl! You could have injured yourself!" Elwyn yelled.

"S-Sorry…" Katie mumbled surprised. "But can you let me go?

"Sure, numbskull," Elwyn said with a cheeky smile and slapped Katie on the butt.

"Owch! Hey girl, not so wild, I am your superior after all!"

"Pff…" Elwyn shrugged.

Katie approached Elizabeth, and the latter swiped the tissue out of her hand and stuck it up her nostrils.

"Figzd I guez... Now ged bag indo da bad, shtubid Gaśga, or you'll grag yer sgull lige me…"

"Kay…" Katie mumbled, and with her head hung low, she entered the water.

"You sure have a temper, Elwyn," Angela said, making a slap movement.

"My Dad got a compound fracture of his right arm when he was fooling around in the bath with me when I was four," Elwyn said with indifference. "Ugh, did you ever see a fibula snapping in half and piercing the skin? I did. Despite all the years, I haven't forgotten the almost animal like roar of pain my father made, and all the blood that started gushing everywhere. But by some weird stroke of luck, there was a doctor in the house, our neighbor."

"And is your father okay?" Marie asked, pale as a wall.

"Yeah, thankfully none of his joints suffered, and his hand is at hundred percent efficiency."

"Pretty damn traumatic experience for a four year old…" Sieglinde said quietly.

"Sucked hard for the first days after it, but I managed to repress those memories."

 **Kola's room**

Aya rolled down from atop of Kola, after coming for the second time. She tucked herself into his side, wrapped her right leg around his, and whispered, "That was epic…"

"I'm glad to have pleasured you, Sweetie," he wrapped his arm around her. "Now I only need a fat cigar in my mouth."

"Heehee… Hmm… How I about I wrap my lips around your _fat cigar_ , hmmm?"

"Give me some rest, Ayaaaa…"

"Oh okay, okay… This also works. Good night, Kola."

"It's the middle of the day, you dink," he smiled.

 _"_ _And I heard that the men are the ones that sleep immediately after an orgasm… Kola, you need to revise your knowledge…"_

 **Commander's office**

Tatiana was still sitting on Ellie's lap, who patted her on the head. Both were in absolute bliss of their newfound situation, but then the phone rang.

"Oooooooooooh…" Tatiana sulked.

"Sorry, Tanya, I have to take it," Ellie sighed and placed her on a separate chair. "I'll be right back."

"Okay, Mom," She smiled.

Smiling to herself, Ellie approached the phone and picked up the receiver. "Yes?"

" _Podpolkovnik_ Horbaczewski, another combat mission is at hand, and I recommend sending everyone, besides you of course," an all too familiar voice said.

"What's the situation, sir?"

Tatiana observed her soon-to-be mother as her smile turned into a frightened face in a matter of seconds. As she laid down the receiver, she had to take a few deep breaths.

"Mom…?" Tatiana asked carefully.

Ellie ran to the PA panel and shouted, "Everyone, abandon all your activities right now! Get out of the bath, bed, toilet, or wherever you are, and assembled combat ready in the lobby! This is most definitely not a drill!"

"Mom, what's happening?!"

"One hundred SS-5's are heading our way," she replied with a shaking voice.

"I-Impossible…"

"Very much possible, Tanya. Go, get prepared, now!"

"Immediately!" Tatiana shouted and ran out.

 **Bedroom**

"God damnit fuck," Toshiro mumbled. "I guess she didn't mean us, right?"

"Nah. But you should prepare yourself for something else. Most of the girls will run out of the bath with their hair and bodies wet."

"I see where you're going at, Kye. Okay, I'll go now, to organize the rabble quickly."

Tatiana busted into the room suddenly and ran to her bunk.

"Know anything?" Toshiro asked as he walked to the door.

"A hundred SS-5's."

"Shiiiiiiiiit…" he said and started running, and after stopping before the bath door, he slightly opened it and said, "Girls, don't try to dry your hair, just get clothed. I'll take care of the rest. Just hurry up!"

He turned around and saw Aya running into the bedroom half-naked.

 _"_ _Well, guess they sure had a good time…"_

After no more than thirty seconds, Sieglinde ran out of the bath.

"Toshiro, what did you mean?"

"Wait for the rest, you'll see."

After a short moment, all of them were now assembled.

"Okay, put your heads together, so that you form a circle."

"What do you want to do?" Katie asked.

"Flash dry your hair with my magic. Now, do it, you don't have much time."

The girls looked baffled at each other, and put their heads together. Toshiro grabbed Sieglinde's hair, which was the longest from the group, and glowed orange. The orange glow enveloped all of them, and a cloud of steam rose from the hairs of the girls.

"Done," he said. "Now run and prepare yourselves."

"Roger!" the girls replied in sync and ran off.

Sieglinde patted her long hair and said, "Well, this surely worked. But it feels a bit too dry…"

"Either that or pneumonia," Angela said. "Don't you think that he also dried our bodies?"

"I think my nose was wet, and now it isn't," Nami said. "And I don't feel so hot as usual after leaving the bath."

"Fight fire with fire," Elsa giggled.

A minute later, all of the girls were assembled in the lobby, with Kola, Alissa, and Toshiro looking at them from the side.

"Ladies, the situation is dire. A hundred SS-5's are coming towards our unit from the south-west…" the girls started murmuring amongst each other, but Ellie continued. "Who can't keep up the speed, tag along with somebody else that can. Don't bother taking big cannons, fast firing is a priority here. And Elizabeth, do you feel like fighting?"

"Yes, I'm feeling quite okay, ma'am."

"Good. Witches, to battle!"

"Roger!" the lot cheered and ran outside.

"One hundred SS-5's…" Ellie shook her head. "Alissa, Toshiro – do they stand a chance?"

The two snickered and Alissa said, "Oh don't worry, Aya herself could probably rip them apart. But she has backup from very competent witches, so really, chill, Ellie."

"I hope you're right… If Tanya would be hurt…"

"So, anything happen?" Toshiro asked.

"Well… Depends on how much you know…"

"He knows," Alissa said.

"Ah, then yes, I succeeded," Ellie smiled.

"Congrats, Ellie. I wish you two luck. And now I'll pull my strings harder to keep you safe."

"Thanks, Toshiro…" the Leh blushed slightly.

"Can anybody tell me what are you conspiring on?" Kola asked.

"Maybe one day," Ellie winked.

 **Fifty kilometers south-west of Volgograd**

 **5000 meters ASL**

"I have a visual!" Shinobu shouted, both her eyes glowing purple. "Gods, there's really a hundred of them!"

"Formation?" Katie asked.

"Diamond shaped swarm, tightly packed," the Fusojin replied calmly.

"Fine…" Katie said and her brain started getting into revs. "Giulietta, fire off your Final Art as quickly as possible. Marie, you do the same once it's possible, we need to disrupt them and kill as many as possible in the shortest time."

"Roger!" the two shouted.

Giulietta looked up and covered her eyes with her hand, so she wouldn't get blind. " _Perfetto…_ Watch out, I'm going to use it differently this time!"

She began gathering energy, and as usual, white particles started dancing around her. However, when she put her hand forward, instead of shooting a beam immediately, a shield was formed, covered in the same energy she gathered. The magic soon started concentrating into a small ball, and surprising to everyone, the shield started curving itself. The girls were watching in awe as white ring started appearing around the small ball and shrinking, disappearing inside of it.

"Magna Sol Invictus!" Giulietta shouted with a thunderous voice.

The small ball expanded in mere microseconds, which only Aya could observe. It hit the parabolic shield and then a gigantic beam shot towards the center of the Neuroi formation. The enemy didn't even make a move as the ultra-fast attack carved a hole much bigger that it's circumference in the Neuroi ranks.

"How…?" Angela asked amazed.

Giulietta started breathing deeply, but she managed to say, "Either pure firepower… Or control over the beam…"

Angela didn't waste further time, and using her magic she quickly counted the rest. "Forty five dead, Giulietta, nicely done. But we still have more to kill! Marie, what's the distance for your Final Art?"

"Two hundred meters, I think."

"Ah, damn it… They'll disperse by then…" Katie said with a sour face.

"Shields!" Shinobu yelled.

On instinct, all the girls pulled up their shields. Giulietta had some troubles, but Sieglinde came before her, and a barrage of beams came in, all bouncing off the girls' defenses.

"Woah, thanks, Sieglinde!" Giulietta cheered.

"You owe me one," she winked.

"You mean…"

"Girls, stop daydreaming," Elwyn budged in. "We have more important things to do," she winked too.

The shriek of the Neuroi suddenly came to their ears, and all of the remaining enemies suddenly inverted their color patterns.

"What the fuck…" Katie mumbled.

"They started accelerating!" Shinobu and Angela shouted in sync

"All weapons live!" Katie commanded. "Fire at will!"

A great hail of bullets was slung in the enemy's direction. Spent casings and belt links were flying like leaves in a late autumn breeze; however, the Neuroi didn't fall like trees after being hit by a shockwave from a nuclear explosion.

"They're dodging like mad!" Aya noticed. "Conserve your ammo!"

"You don't want to take over command, do you?" Katie asked.

"Only if the need arises."

"Let's stay at that for now, Aya."

"Guys, we're fucked…" Angela said quietly.

Everyone concentrated on the enemy, who started dispersing in a random pattern in all directions.

"Scramble!" Katie commanded. "Otherwise we're sitting ducks!"

"Roger!"

The girls dispersed as if a giant whip cracked behind their backs. Aya and Shinobu summoned their swords and dashed at the first enemies. Aya managed to make the first strike on one of the enemies, but when the sword cut the enemy, it detonated into a bright red explosion. If not for her lightning quick reflexes, Aya would have been caught up into the explosion.

"Shino, keep your distance!"

Shinobu flinched hearing those words, as she was heading for a straight on attack, but she made a dramatic dive under the enemy and shot a weak Reppuzan, making the enemy explode.

 _"_ _That was close… Thanks, Aya!"_

Aya quickly switched to her MG3 H1 and started gunning the Neuroi down while thinking intensively. She saw that the enemies' didn't bother firing now, only rushed straight at her comrades. Suddenly, she saw one crashing into Sieglinde's shield and exploding.

"Sigi!"

"I'm okay!" she responded on comms. "That fucker literally wanted to suicide bomb me, but I managed to amp my shield!"

"Oh crap… Everyone, keep your distance! The enemies are set dead to kamikaze us!" Aya shouted.

"Are you sure?!" Katie asked.

"Yes!"

"Okay everyone, keep your distance, and watch your reloads! If you can't reload in less than two seconds, pull out your pistol!" Katie commanded.

"Are our pistols even worth something?" Elsa asked.

Aya quickly pulled out her P220 and shot a .45 round into a Neuroi that flew straight for her. The enemy exploded in a red cloud in a split second after it was hit.

"The enemies seem to be extremely vulnerable right now!" Aya said. "Use that to your advantage, guys!"

"Angela, come to me," Katie commanded.

The Karlslander flew up to Katie while fending for herself and asked, "What is it?"

"I need your power for a greater overview of the battlefield. Combined with my magic, we'll have absolute clarity."

"Hey, and what about me?" Tatiana asked. "I can help with my Final Art."

"Ah, yes, I total forgot about that. Well then, we three sync together, and pass on directions to the rest, okay?"

"Roger," Angela and Tatiana replied and focused. "Shinobu, two on your six, one from above." Angela said. "Sieglinde…"

Led like that, the girls had it much easier; however, the Neuroi still had their abnormal agility. Elizabeth holstered her M82 and she tried to pull out her Glock, but the brass button for the strap holding the gun was stuck.

"Katie, your cousin!" Angela warned.

Katie looked towards Elizabeth and saw her struggling with her holster. She immediately flew to her.

"God damn fucking piece of shit Ostmark produced motherfu…" Elizabeth cursed and looked up.

Four Neuroi were charging right at her, and nobody saw it. She pulled the pistol so hard that the strap ripped apart, and she was about to aim, when a cannonade started and the four Neuroi exploded. Katie flew before Elizabeth, with her back towards her and asked, "Everything okay?!"

"Yes…"

"Whew… And I was worried…" she said with a smile and turned her head back.

Something weird started happening. Elizabeth now saw a scene from the past. There was a time she went to a playground alone, and then some boy started bullying her, pulling the ponytail she had back then. However, Katie followed her covertly. She jumped out of the bushes, and she made the bully rue the day he was born. Katie was standing just like that back then, with her back towards her cousin, asking, "Everything okay?"

Elizabeth's head didn't hurt this time. A steady stream of memories started flowing before her eyes. All six years which he thought she had lost in the accident, suddenly found themselves anew. She felt a burning sensation inside of her, and then, she heard the dry crack of the firing pin hitting the empty chamber in Katie's NSVS. Elizabeth simply pointed her hand before her, and a sudden explosion destroyed the two incoming Neuroi.

Katie looked around and saw her cousin with a sour face saying, "That should have looked differently…"

"Lily? W-What? H-How?

"I've regained my memories, Katie. All of them. Every single one!" Elizabeth cheered. "But I feel something warm inside of me…"

"Your memories… Oh my," Katie covered her mouth with her hand. "Wait… I feel something too… Hey… Grandma told me that she had a special technique she used with her sister… You think we can pull that off?"

"That whole Heavenly Dragon thing? Yes, my Grandma told me about that too… So, we're trying?"

"Yes!" Katie shouted.

The two joined hands and started concentrating, while holding their pistols in the free hands and shooting some strays coming to them. Magic circles started appearing over the two in even distance to each other, soon reaching an enormous height.

"What the hell is happening…?" Sieglinde murmured.

"Let's bring the heavens down!" Katie shouted.

The last circle was hidden in a cloud, and all of a sudden, an immense roar was hear across the battlefield. Those who could spare a look, gaze to the sky and saw an enormous dragon of legend, made entirely out of magical fire, coming down from the clouds and shattering the magic circles on the way. It stopped before Katie and Elizabeth, flapping its wings slowly.

"It worked…" Elizabeth gasped.

"Indeed… Okay, I'll keep up the magic flow, you control it."

"But… I don't know if I can… That explosion before was supposed to be like your Final Art…" Elizabeth said with a sad face.

"Don't believe in yourself, Lily. Believe in me, who believes in you! If there's nobody else in this world, let it be me who will be someone to lean over!"

Elizabeth's face changed into a decisive frown and she said, "Let's do this."

She clenched her fist and the dragon roared once again.

"How many enemies left?" Katie asked.

"Twenty five," Angela answered. "Is that yours?"

"No, it's not mine, it's ours! Lily, show them how you dispose of Neuroi!"

The dragon swooped across the battlefield with a blinding speed. Elizabeth steered it into a small group of enemies, killing ten at once. A heat beam shot off the dragon, sizzling one of the enemies so that it didn't even explode.

"This is incredible, Katie! But I'm starting to feel woozy…"

"Hold up just a bit! Only fourteen left!"

"Fourteen…" Elizabeth said and started looking searching for the enemies. "I see all of them. Time to rain fire and brimstone!"

Blood started seeping out of her nose, but then the dragon shot of fourteen perfectly placed heat beams, each turning their target into ashes. Katie holstered her pistol and embraced her cousin. The dragon disappeared immediately without leaving a single trace.

"Oh Lily… Why are you pushing yourself so hard?"

"Because I have somebody to look up to," Elizabeth smiled and fainted.

"Damn it…" Katie said and looked at the rest, of which Aya quickly flew to her.

Aya quickly measured Elizabeth's pulse with one hand and her temperature with the other.

"Hmm, seems okay. She's just tired I think.

 _"_ _She's very tired, Mistress. Maybe she'll be fit for supper, but I don't guarantee anything, I'm just a tool."_

 _"_ _Thanks, Kuro."_

 _"_ _Oh, and if I may add, that was a spectacular dragon! Oh, if only she was real…"_

 _"_ _She? That was a… dragoness?"_

 _"_ _Yes, Mistress."_

 _"_ _Oh poor Kuro… I should find you a partner… Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait! Stop the presses!"_

 _"_ _Mistress… I think I know what you're thinking about…"_

 _"_ _Well, you are my familiar after all, heehee… So, I have Kola, why not have Bianca for yourself?"_

 _"_ _That would be intriguing, Mistress… I think I'll partake in the quest to win her heart."_

 _"_ _Good boy!"_

"Just let her rest, Katie," Aya said with a smile. "But you're also a bit pale too."

"Yeah, well, that lasted only less than a whole minute, and I feel like shit. But don't worry; I can fly on my own."

"I'll take Liz, Kitty!" Nami cheered and held Elizabeth in her arms.

"Wow, you look like you should fall from the sky with all of that," Katie said with a faint smile while looking at the ammo container on Nami's back.

"Nah, Elsa looks even more encumbered, right?"

"Well, I have to balance all of this on my back all the time or I would tumble, crash, and die," Elsa shrugged. "But I expended all of my ammo, so the canisters are now very light, heheheh…"

"Heh indeed. Okay ladies, let's go back to base!"

* * *

 **One anime reference and one… RPG reference, heheh…**

 **The Heavenly Dragon is a combination technique developed by the grandmothers of Katie and Elizabeth, AKA the Fire Twins. This however was the Final Art version – the Celestial Dragon.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	43. Chapter 43 – strevnI ehT

Chapter 43 – strevnI ehT

* * *

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Radar room**

"Woohoo!" Ellie cheered as the preliminary report came in through the comms. "Nobody heavily injured! All enemies defeated!" she looked around between Alissa and Toshiro and hugged the latter.

"Whoa, Ellie, are you always so exuberant?" Toshiro asked surprised.

"Uh…" Ellie backed off. "Sorry, but you know… Tatiana is now my daughter so to speak and I was just happy she's okay…"

"That's a good answer," Alissa said. "Want a hug with me now?"

"Umm… No, I had my share of hugs today I think, heh. But I'm a bit uneasy about how the Neuroi are behaving now."

"You mean how they invert their colors and start fighting differently?" Toshiro asked. "Hey, Alissa, I thought that was public knowledge by now."

"It's not exactly a state secret, but it's not being actively passed on."

"What are you two talking about?" she asked.

"We will tell you all during dinner, right, Toshiro?" Alissa looked at him.

"Yup, it seems this knowledge is now deeply needed."

"Now I'm actually anxious…" Ellie said while staring profusely at the two. "But okay, I'll make it till dinner."

"Dinner… Hmm, Alissa? How about we do dinner?" Toshiro asked.

"The two of us? Well, that would truly be ten star dish, ha! I'm in. Go and drag Kola out of his room and let's do it."

"Why K… Ah, okay, good thinking," Toshiro winked and went out of the radar room, and walked a few meters to Kola's room's door. "Hey, big guy, you busy?"

"I'm perfectly idle right now," Kola replied. "What's to be done?"

"You've been drafted as a kitchen hand for dinner."

"Oooookaaaaay… I just hope the girls have iron stomachs."

"Don't worry your ass about that, we'll be watching you like a pile of gold bars in the middle of the Red Square."

"I'm coming…"

 **Hangar**

"Aw snap…" Nami muttered. "Anyone help me unload?" she asked sorrowfully with Elizabeth in her hands and revolver cannon with ammo canister on her back.

"I have to unload myself, sorry!" Elsa waved to her.

"Come on, I'll help," Sieglinde said and took Elizabeth.

"Thanks, Sigi," Nami smiled.

"Ugh, it feels weird being called that by you…"

"Because we did some things?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah…" Sieglinde blushed. "Now come on, drop your gear already."

"But you have bigger muscles, and I don't want to use my magic unnecessarily…" Nami reasoned childishly.

"I have to drop my gear too, you god damn tease."

"Oh okay, okay…" Nami mumbled and went to drop her gear.

"I think you should sleep with Liz, Katie," Aya said to the Leh who was barely standing.

"You say that as my doctor?" Katie smirked.

Aya giggled briefly and mused, "Kindaaaa…"

"Well okay, nurse, I'll go to bed with Liz. Ugh, that sounded a bit off…"

"Isn't that normal in Liberion?" Giulietta grinned.

"Only in a few states. And stop shipping me with my cousin, or I'll make some Central Liberian cuisine, and you'll be the one to clean the toilets afterwards!"

Giulietta ran away with a brief "Eep!"

"Ugh, I feel like mashed shit…" Katie sighed.

"Don't worry, I'll help you to your or Liz's bed, whichever you prefer. I have to help my superior, right?" Aya smiled innocently.

"I don't know if you're sarcastic right now, but I don't care. I want to be served, because I made a damn difference!"

"Served?" Giulietta turned her head around.

The glare that Katie shot her was enough to make the Romagnan resume her escape with doubled effort.

"Hey, Aina…" Tatiana looked for her companion around the hangar, but something told her to look down. "Oh Aina…"

The Suomi was lying at her feet, all curled up and snoring quietly.

"Damn it… Now who could possibly help me with her?" she pondered not quite quietly.

"Oh whatever, I can do it," Sieglinde sighed and picked up Aina. "Hmm, at least she's a bit lighter than Elizabeth."

"Um, thanks, Sieglinde…" she muttered with red cheeks.

"No problem, Tatiana," she looked at the Orussian. "If you're wondering if I'm over the fact you weren't who you were at first glance, the answer is yes. You just did your job, but you had the guts to oppose the bad guys. That scores quite high in my book, as well as your combat performance, and the fact that you're the one who's patrolling the sky while we're sleeping. Although I should break your jaw for aiming at Aya, but I guess that bitch slap she gave you is enough."

"Err… Yeah… Sorry for that…"

"Ah, and I see you have that pistol with you?"

"Y-Yes, I do. I don't need to hide it anymore, now that the cat is out of the bag."

"Care to show me it?"

"Sure!" Tatiana cheered. "But not now I guess…"

"Yeah, not now," Sieglinde smiled. "Let's go, the rest are more or less ready to go.

 _"_ _Sieglinde is a really nice girl, despite the tough looks and the air she put around her at the beginning. Nevertheless, I'm not without blame myself I guess, because I behaved even worse… And now? Even she seems to be friendly towards me, and… heehee… Ellie wants to adopt me… I really don't deserve any of this…"_

 **Commander's office**

Ellie was sitting in her chair and waiting eagerly for the return of her girls, especially one with short gray hair. She almost fell out of her chair when a knock sounded from the door, but she quickly regained her composure and said, "Come in."

Aya appeared in the door and asked, "Can I be the one to refer everything that happened?"

"Hmmm… Why yes. But where's Katie?"

"Tired. She's sleeping with Liz in one bunk, who's even more tired."

"Ah, okay. Come in, close the door, and tell me everything."

"Oh I will, the battle was… showy," Aya said and started her report.

After a few minutes of uninterrupted speech, Ellie finally heard silence. "Indeed, the battle was something unusual. The behavior of the Neuroi, Elizabeth recovering her memories, and a new power they have awakened… A shame I had to stay here, really."

"I think the commies don't know about Alissa and Grandpa."

"That's very likely, Aya. Moreover, very good for us, might I add. Okay, report received, you can go see your friends, family, or lover now. The two latter persons are in the kitchen right now."

"Oh? Kola and Grandpa are cooking?" Aya asked truly surprised. "I can't even think what that will result in…"

"Alissa is with them too, so I guess a womanly hand is in place," Ellie winked. "Can you call in Tanya for me?"

"Tanya? You mean Tatiana, right?"

"Err, yes, Tatiana," Ellie corrected herself quickly. "Oh whatever now, Alissa knows, Toshiro knows, and of course Tanya knows already…"

"Knows what?"

"Look out into the corridor and see if there's anyone," Ellie ordered.

Aya, a bit baffled, looked into the corridor, and saw Tatiana looking at her just from beside the door with a shrewd smile plastered to her doll-like face.

"Remember that the bugs are still present in this room and Kola's," she smiled.

"Still present… So… Oh crap! Tatiana, please tell me you aren't listening to us!" Aya started shaking the small Orussian.

"Nooo-ooo-ooo-ooo…"

Aya stopped shaking her and asked, now a bit more calmly, "Really?"

"Yes, Aya, of course. The things you are potentially doing there…" her face started almost glowing red. "I don't want to hear that…"

"Oh… Um, sorry for accusing you."

"I see no problem, Aya. Given my track record, I guess you can have some distrust towards me, heehee… But anyway, Ellie, you want to disclose our little secret to Aya? Should the whole unit know it or what?"

"Aya should be fine."

"Well okay then," Tatiana said and welcomed herself into the room. "Tell her."

"I'll tell you, Aya, but promise me that not even Kola will know of it until I clear you to do so," Ellie said adamantly.

"Yes, of course. I'm an Edelweiss after all; I know a thing or two about honor."

"I do hope so. You see, Aya, without beating around the bush, I'll tell you that I have decided to adopt Tanya."

Aya looked at Tatiana, who nodded ecstatically and cheered, "Ellie will be my Mommy now!"

"My… I haven't seen Tatiana so happy in… ever! The situation is a bit weird, but personally, I think this is a great idea. My Grandpa had his share of _orphandom_ , about which he told me in detail, and I wouldn't wish this to anybody, even my worst enemy. Everyone has the right to have parents, even if adopted."

"I knew that making you the third in the unit would be a good decision," Ellie said warmly. "Okay, you can go now, Aya. But remember, not a word."

"I have the feeling that this will surface anyway," Aya giggled and went out.

"So, dear daughter, want to sit on my lap again?"

"Of course, Mommy!"

 **Kitchen**

"This all is actually quite fun," Kola said. "Maybe not as fun as tinkering with stuff around the base, but it has its merits."

"Learn how to cook, and you'll win over every woman," Toshiro said. "Well, if you try to win over a different woman than Aya, then first she, then I, and maybe even Alissa will demolish you."

"Suggestion noted…" Kola mumbled. "But do really women like when a man cooks for them?"

"Of course," Alissa said. "A woman cooks for his man out of love and care, and it's something obvious. But when a man cooks, his woman receives it as the best payback for her efforts. And you know what can happen then, right?" she smiled slyly.

"Hmmm… Aside indigestion, I guess some gratitude could be shown, right?"

Toshiro shook his head with a deep sigh accompanying it. "Oh Kola, Kola… I see that you still have to learn the nuances of a male-female relationship… But don't worry, I'll pass on that knowledge to you!"

"Oh, what knowledge will you pass on?" Aya peeked through the kitchen counter.

"Oh look, my dear Granddaughter returns! Report please!"

"Of course, _Herr_ _Opa_!" Aya saluted and giggled afterwards. "So…"

Aya was briefer than with Ellie, and after everything she added, "Wish you all were there."

"Like fuck," Toshiro said. "But the battle would be over much sooner! Hahaha! And Aya, seriously, why didn't you go full force, hmm? You could have discombobulate all those suckers on your own."

"Oh I can't be selfish, Grandpa. The rest had to have their share of kills too, and you see what it resulted in."

"Yeah, a combo attack. I saw the original, and from what you've described, Katie and Elizabeth pulled off theirs perfectly. Moreover, it must have been at Final Art level, judging by the effectiveness. Fuck, I want to see that…"

"That won't happen today, the two are too tired. Oh, put off some food for them on the side, I guess they won't be eating."

"Smart as usual," Toshiro smiled.

"How does training after dinner sound?" Alissa chimed. "And you can skip it, Toshiro."

"Reaaaaaallyyyy?" Aya moaned. "I guess if it's necessary…"

"All my training is necessary, you squirt. So don't get too comfortable after you had your post-dinner break."

"Okaaaay… I think I'll do some weapon maintenance with Sigi and whoever I scrap together."

"You have about forty minutes or so, so that's plenty of time to reload your guns," Toshiro said. "Hop to it."

"I guess back in your day it was called entertainment?" Aya smiled wryly.

"Of course it was, you whippersnapper!"

"Hahaha!" Aya laughed as she ran out of the dining hall.

After quietly entering the bedroom, Aya approached her Karlslander friends and asked, "Who's with me for weapon maintenance?"

Elsa, Angela, and Sieglinde raised their hands, and the latter two looked amazed at Elsa.

"What? I like reloading my canisters with the loading thingie…"

"Heh, you sure do," Aya said and saw Shinobu and Nami approaching. "Oh? Here to help?"

"What's afoot?" Shinobu asked.

"Weapon maintenance," Sieglinde said neutrally.

"Hey, what's the hubbub?" Elwyn joined in.

"Weapon maintenance," Sieglinde repeated.

"Oh, what is happening?" Marie asked.

"Free s… Oh I can't lie to you," Sieglinde changed her attitude. "We're assembling for weapon maintenance. We expended a lot of ammo, and we should reload any empty clips we have," she explained calmly and softly.

"Ah, I see. Then count me in," Marie smiled.

"How are we with time?" Giulietta asked.

"You're joining too?" Aya threw a counter question.

"Yeah, sure, why not. Beats staring a hole in the ceiling."

"Heehee… So we have about forty minutes, so I guess even Elsa can reload her canisters."

"Yup!" the Karlslander confirmed.

"Then let's go," Aya commanded.

"Oooh, Aya is using her powers!" Elsa said. "Scary!"

The girls went on in great humors.

 **Hangar**

Immediately after opening the hangar door, Elsa ran towards the supply pile.

"My, she's sure energetic about it," Shinobu said and saw Nami running after her. "Well then…"

"Hey, Elsa!" Nami said loudly.

"Huh, what's up?"

"Is your loader for a set caliber?"

"Uh, no, actually not. 20, 27, and 30 millimeters, if you're interested."

"Oh please let me use it! I'll be here till supper!"

"After I do mine, because it's much more ammo to load, kay?"

"Okay! I'll do my M2 in the meantime!" Nami cheered.

"How can one be so happy about loading an ammo belt?" Elwyn asked bitterly. "That's damn hard work…"

"But if you do it yourself, you won't have anybody to blame it on if there's some failure," Sieglinde said in a lecturing tone. "And it's relaxing."

"Relaxing? How in tarnation is that gol durn possible?! My fingers are bleeding when I finish one darn belt!"

"Then you're doing it wrong. I'll show you how to do it properly. And after that, I'll lend you my loader, if you weren't supplied with one," Siegline shrugged.

"You? Showing me?"

"Yes. Anything weird?"

"Uhhh… No, actually I'm happy to see you in a helpful mood."

"It was a good battle, and now I have a good mood – it's self-explanatory," she said with a smile. "And besides, we're not strangers…"

Elwyn snickered and said, "Oh we're not… Most definitely not…"

In the meantime, Elsa undid the lid of one of her canisters and looked inside.

"Booo, totally empty."

She ran opened a crate with a thousand rounds, and then a crate with a linkless belt. She affixed the loader to the rim of the canister, and then she attached the belt to the underside of the loader. She made sure the device was set to the proper caliber, and that there's enough fuel. She took a handful of rounds, and dumped it on the tray coming out from the side of the loader randomly. Elsa primed the fuel pump of the contraption, and pulled the starter cord.

The machine started instantaneously, and the tape started moving, along with the rounds being gobbled up. She quickly took a new load of rounds, and after dumping them onto the tray, she grabbed the belt, which started being filled with rounds. She simply saw to it that it landed in a proper way inside the canister, and for the next few minutes, she just made minor corrections, and loaded new rounds.

As she was doing that, Sieglinde was showing her Liberian friend the arcane knowledge of loading belts properly.

"See? Less force, more precision."

"You make it look like you're doing it for a living."

"Heh, you're partially right, Elwyn. But really, just use my loader if you don't have one, okay?"

"No, I don't…" Elwyn mumbled. "Thanks for the help…"

"I want payment…" she whispered.

"In nature?" Elwyn whispered back.

"Of course."

"Ugh… You made me bisexual. Okay then, when?"

"That I'll have to confirm against Giulietta's eventual plans."

"Damn, you sure have some urges, sister."

"I always waited for Aya, and now, when I'm _free_ , I have to catch up," she shrugged.

"Fine… But don't maneuver me into some threesome, okay?"

"A threesome would be difficult to pull off in the current environment. Now, let's go back to loading."

"Yeah, yeah…"

 **Dining hall**

"Okay, I have a little lecture for you all. Be sure to pass this intel on to Katie and Elizabeth," Alissa said after dinner was mostly eaten. "It's about the weird behavior of the Neuroi."

"You mean why they change color and try to suicide bomb us?" Elwyn asked.

"Yes, indeed. In the Bundeswehr we call in _Umdrehung_ , Inversion, and a Neuroi affected with the process is an _Umdrehten_ , an Invert."

"Makes sense," Ellie said. "The color pattern on the Neuroi is literally inverted."

"Indeed," Alissa continued. "What exactly causes this to happen? This is unknown. But we know the effects of such a transformation, and that only the top class Neuroi can do it. Universally, the enemy will become much more aggressive, faster, and have more firepower. Drones will bundle together, forming a cluster shooting in all directions. Interceptors will get something akin to a beam chaingun. Mediums will acquire unguided missiles. Supersonics, as you have seen and up until that battle it wasn't known, will become suicide bombs. Heavy Bombers will grow, acquire turrets, and their bombs will be much more deadly. We don't know what effect the Inversion will have on Heavy Dreadnoughts however, but with their previous track record, I bet it's something very dangerous."

"So it's some kind of berserker mode, right?" Elwyn asked.

"You could call it that way. Or sometimes it's more of a last stand, like that Hive you battled near Pripyat."

"How could such info fly under the radar?" Ellie asked.

"Your dear KGB knows, but they won't tell anything," Alissa said. "Why bother the simple witches?"

"Incredible…" Aina shook her head.

"Okay then, now we know more about our common enemy," Ellie said. "Now girls, do your training or whatever you want, you might as well lie the rest of the day on your backs."

"Aya, you know what we're doing, right?" Alissa asked.

"Yeah, I know…" she sighed. "But I can do whatever I want up until then?"

"Just don't do it too intensively," Alissa grinned.

"I'm not that randy…" Aya pouted, making the girls giggle. "Come on, Kola."

"Yes ma'am," he smiled and grabbed her hand. "Ah, but first, want to hear a joke, everyone?"

"Mercy…" Katie moaned.

"Hey, I want to hear one!" Nami pouted.

"Go ahead," Ellie nodded.

"Heh… So, a circus comes to a big soviet town. The main attraction on the posters is the fact that they promise they will give back your money in tenfold if the main act won't satisfy you. When the show finally starts, all the tickets are sold out. After the usual shenanigans with lions, elephants, monkeys, acrobats, bears, jugglers, clowns, et cetera, an announcer comes into the arena and says, "And now, the act that all of you were waiting for! The KGB orchestra will perform the Internationale!""

The reaction of the girls was something Kola hasn't anticipated, as all of them started laughing without exception, with Aya clutching herself to him, so she wouldn't fall to the ground.

"Best one yet!" Nami shouted between laughs.

"Even I understood!" Elwyn said and cackled on.

"Oh, that was really funny…" Tatiana continued snickering.

"If I didn't hear it before, I would probably shit myself," Toshiro snorted.

"Ugh, come on, Aya," Kola said with a smile and laid her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"You think they're gonna…" Elwyn tried to ask.

"No, I guess not," Angela said and laughed on.

 **Kola's room**

"So, Aya, why did you drag me to my own room?" Kola asked.

"I just wanted to be with you alone for a bit, and not have sex at the same time."

"Well, that sure is something new for me, hahaha! Okay, let's sit down."

They both took a seat on the edge of the bed, but Aya quickly rearranged both of them, so that she was lying on him, when he had his legs spread and with the bed frame behind his back.

"I hope I won't feel a sudden bulge on my back, hmm?" Aya with a coy voice.

"If you'll tease me like this, you're certain to feel one…" Kola mumbled.

"Pat me on the head…"

"Sure…"

As Kola was patting his fiancé on head, she said, "You know, that dinner was good. I like that you made it for me."

"And I like that you liked it. But damn those two are like an old couple…"

"You have to let them be, they have their differences. And it's funny at times."

"Pff… Funny…" he muttered. "Good that I was occupied doing things, or I would go bazonkers with the two," after Aya giggled, he continued. "But they are like some Gallian chefs in the kitchen. I understand Toshiro, but Alissa? Ain't she too young to be so proficient with cooking?"

"She comes from a good home," Aya told the "official" cover story.

"I guess that explain a few things. And Christ, she's hot."

"Oh no you don't'!" Aya turned around. "The only woman whose curves you can complement is me, got it?"

"Not even in a theoretical manner complementing the overall beauty of the womanly body?"

"Woah, did Grandpa give you a lesson?!"

"I won't say he didn't… But I came up with that one by my own."

"Heh… Oh well, I guess I overreacted a bit… You were sheltered from other women, and now I came offering my body, so I guess some urges have awoken inside of you…" Aya pondered. "Okay, Kola. New rules - look, but not touch. Compliment, but not outright flirt. If it's sex, you can have plenty from me. I'm still learning to implement my body in the fullest in this kind of manner, but I promise I will do the kinkiest stuff with you, except for some gross fetishes."

"That's an awfully brave statement coming from you, Aya."

"I just don't want to lose another person in my life…" she lied back down on him.

"Your cousin, right?"

"Yes… I'm still sad about her fate. She had her whole life before her, and suddenly boom, just because some capacitor went haywire… But I guess people died because of more trivial things… But why Simone?" Aya sighed.

Kola resumed his patting and said, "When my mother died, I was pissed off at the whole world. But the _batiushka_ that came told me that each death has its own meaning, even if we think it's meaningless at the time it happens. Death should not be an end, but a beginning, both for the deceased and for the living left behind."

"Where did you come up with such a wise priest?" Aya looked at him.

"He had his years, Aya. In the backwater, one has time to think. It's the favorite past time of people that are away from civilization."

"And are you such a thinker too?" she asked smiling.

"Of course, Aya. Even now, of course when Bianca isn't stirring a storm in my head, I'm thinking about various things."

"What things?"

"Existential problems. Philosophical problems. And of course mundane, daily problems."

"I bet you're lumping me together with the last group, hmmm?"

"No, Aya," he said softly. "You're not a problem. You're a big blessing that has happened in my life, through which it can be changed for the better."

"Oh Koooola…" she crawled up and hugged him. "I feel like I'm some kind of knight-princess in shining armor, heehee…"

"Because you are, Sweetie. You, well, with some help of your grandfather, pulled me out of the gutter. And imagine you weren't here. Tatiana would smear my brain across some wall, or strangle me in the woods, and nobody would even suspect her."

"Hmmm… Yeeaaaah… That's very possible. But I'm here, and I'll protect my Koly-Woly, heehee…"

"You're so sweet I would eat you whole, Aya."

"Mmm… Well, I felt as you nibbled be before, heehee…"

"Oh stop, Aya. Just thinking about that makes me horny."

"Okay, okay, no more lewd things. I think the night is the best time to do some drilling."

"Hey, at least there's a smaller chance somebody will eavesdrop on us, right?"

"Yes," Aya smiled. "Let's just be like this until Alissa calls me, okay?"

"Okay, Sugar Puff."

 **Bedroom**

 **A bit later**

Katie gained her consciousness and opened her heavy eyelids. She looked around and saw Elizabeth to her left. Her cousin picked and ideal time to wake up, because she too opened her eyes.

"Oh… Katie…"

"How are you, Lily?"

"I feel sleepy…" she mumbled weekly.

"Then sleep, I'm here with you," Katie said quietly.

"But you must have duties… And stuff…"

"My duty right now is to be with you, Lily. Nothing else really matters," she looked out the window, where the redness of the sunset mixed itself with the impending darkness of the incoming night. "Judging by the lighting, it's about four PM, so the girls are training. Sieglinde and Shinobu can pull it off without me."

"Okaaaay…" Elizabeth yawned. "But wake up for supper, okay? I want some food from my Kaśka…" she said and closed her eyes.

"Of course I will," Katie said and followed her cousin into dreamland.

 **Forest**

 **Late evening**

"Okay, Aya, that's all for today," Alissa said. "You're making good progress."

"One thing I know I won't hear from your mouth – "I didn't expect you to progress so fast,"" Aya smiled.

"Heheh, well, if I was reborn properly, and a few years younger, that could be the case, but I can't."

"You have your universes to guard, huh?"

"Yeah, that's true. You know what could happen in twenty years of me being absent? Pah! It would escape your mortal recognition! But anyway, Toshiro was also bitching about why I'm not a rebirth."

"And I'm just asking, not bitching, right?"

"Of course, Sweetie," Alissa smirked. "But I really would like to be reborn once again, but I'll leave it till the Allgod returns."

"Why then?"

"Because then, he, and a few other Elder Gods that I have a… hmm… unwritten covenant with will take simply fill my place. But right now – no."

"Okay, I understand perfectly. But couldn't you just send a mortal copy of yourself? You're almost omnipotent after all."

"Aya, your hunger for answers is insatiable. Stop asking or I'll turn you into Aye," Alissa smirked devilishly.

"Aye? Wait, oh no! Oh no no!"

"Heheh… But okay, here…" Alissa approached Aya and flicked her forehead lightly. "Now you get it?"

Aya looked through the stream of knowledge Alissa had bestowed upon her and said, "Yeah, I do now. We're going back now?"

"Yes. Supper will be served in a few minutes," Alissa said and took the light orb that was illuminating the training field and made it move above them as they walked across the runway.

 **Dining hall**

When Alissa and Aya entered the room, they saw Elizabeth being pampered upon by almost everyone. Aya quickly ran up to her and asked, "Hey, Liz, how are you?"

"Ugh, that question has been ran into the ground, pierced through a cave, and starting its journey to the Earth's core…" she sighed. "I'm fine Aya," Elizabeth smiled nevertheless. "Katie's traditionally doing supper in the kitchen."

"Ah, okay. It's nice to see you in good standing."

"Maybe not good, but I can walk around freely now. But I'm still sleepy as if I had two shifts in a coal mine…" Elizabeth yawned to underline her statement.

"Don't worry, you can sleep all you want for you to recover," Ellie said. "Katie would wring my neck if I said otherwise, heh…"

"So Aya how was it?" Toshiro asked. "I had a nice time playing poker with the girls."

"Oh, let's say I progressed," Aya winked. "And how was poker?"

"If we were playing strip poker, the whole unit wouldn't have enough clothes to cover up the girls."

"He played even better than me…" Ellie mumbled. "If we weren't playing for dimes and nickels, I would be both stark naked and flat broke."

"And possibly defiled…" Toshiro mused.

"Jiiiiiiiiiii…" Aya started staring a hole in Toshiro.

"No need to try to mangle your grandfather with your stare, Aya," Ellie giggled. "We all know that was, a rather ribald, but it was a joke. Toshiro told us some stories from his life, both before, during, and after the 501st."

"I apologize in hindsight for my Grandpa…" Aya bowed slightly.

"No, no, it was fun!" Elwyn cheered. "Your gramps told stuff that I haven't heard of!"

"But I hope nothing indecent?"

"Well, there were some lewd moments, but he spared us the details of his conquests of our grandmothers…" Shinobu said slightly nervously.

"Or your grandmother specifically," Nami said with a bright smile.

"Ugh, Grandpa…" Aya sighed. "I leave you for a few hours with the girls, and there you go."

"Alissa told me I could skip your training, so I had to find a replacement activity. And you have to deal with the fact that I have a lot of stuff that I can talk about. You're only seventeen, so your repertoire of anecdotes, quips, and stories is rather limited, don't you think?"

"Ughhhh… You didn't get the point, but whatever, I have respect for my elders, I give up…"

"Supper's ready!" Katie yelled from the kitchen.

"Eat something; you're just grumpy because of the lack of energy after the training."

"Maybe…"

After eating, Aya just mumbled, "Sorry, Grandpa…"

"Nothing like food and some thinking to calm yourself down," he smiled and patted her on the head.

"Heheh…" Aya smiled in glee and looked at Sieglinde. "Oh, Grandpa, can you excuse me for a sec?"

"Yeah, sure."

Aya went to Sieglinde and whispered into her ear. "We need to talk in private."

"Hmmm…" Sieglinde looked at her cautiously. "Follow me then."

The blonde Karlslander led her black haired compatriot to the toilet. She cranked open the faucet, leaned back against the sink, and asked, "What is it, Aya?"

"Ummm… You see… I received some advice, and I think I should cash in as soon as possible…"

"Huh? What advice? And cash in what?"

"That advice was about uh… experimenting with my sexuality… And um… The one I would like to experiment is you…" Aya blushed vividly.

"Y-You… Y-You… M-Me…" Sieglinde's face paled, but soon her cheeks were dripping wet from tears. "Oh I'm so happy!" she bawled.

"Now, Sigi, don't cry like that! People will suspect things!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure…" she said and simply dipped her face under the cold water from the faucet. "Ooof, much better. Aya, who gave you such advice?"

"Alissa," She answered with a straight face.

"Figures… But damn, this is unexpected… Hey, have you asked Kola? He might be mad…"

"Oh shit… Yeah, I have to do that immediately. Thanks for reminding me!"

"No prob. Oh and I promise to be gentle!"

"Heehee, okay, I'll accept your soft touch in my nether regions," Aya smirked.

"I think I'm wet…" Sieglinde murmured with a deadpan face.

"Heeheeheee… Save yourself for later," Aya said and exited the room.

She immediately spotted Kola, and ran up to him.

"Kola, we need to talk."

"What is it with you talking to people suddenly?"

"Some things have to be discussed behind the scenes. Come on, to your room."

"Yeah…"

After entering the room, Aya said, "Kola, I have something to ask you…"

"Fire away."

"You see… I want to… Err… Experiment with Sieglinde today… And… P-Possibly Giulietta tomorrow…"

"Experiment? Is that some kind of euphemism for carpet munching?"

"Now that was a double euphemism," Aya snickered. "So, what do you say?"

"You are asking me, to allow you, to have some lewd lesbian sex with a hot bodybuilder, and an even hotter Romagnan with enormous jugs? You know that will cost you…"

"S-So you agree?"

"Just tell me why."

"Um… Alissa kinda gave me that advice and… I think I should do such a thing to satisfy my hunger of knowledge and my natural curiosity before it's too late…" Aya toyed around with her index fingers.

"Well, fine then…" Kola sighed. "But remember, after you _recover_ from Sieglinde, you're going straight to me."

"O-Okay!"

"And you're taking it in the upper hole," Kola smiled devilishly.

"W-What? But I never…"

"You want to experiment with pussies; I want to experiment with some fellatio.

Aya frowned, but she answered, "Okay then… But take a damn bath!"

"And you brush your teeth after Sieglinde."

"What are… Oh I see… It seems your imagination is running wild already," Aya sighed. "The sacrifices a woman has to make…"

 **Bedroom**

 **2200 MSK**

Toshiro observed as the _nightlife_ of the unit started. Aya snuck over to Sieglinde, who started kissing her immediately. Surprisingly, Giulietta wandered over to Nami.

 ** _"_** ** _What the flying fuck…?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _The girls these days, huh?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _But remember that my presence alone was enough to turn four girls bisexual at once. You think I have some kind of hidden power or what?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Heheheh, you have a hidden power, but I'll discuss that… Not today at least. But soon."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Indiana Toshiro and the Cryptic Ass – now as paperback novel…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Heehee… Now, don't be such a sour puss."_**

"Hi, handsome…" Toshiro's right ear was drilled by Toshiko's sensual voice, while agile hands wrapped around his torso.

"Well hello, milady. Carest thou to partake in our usual coital experiences?"

"Verily, my liege," Toshiko giggled.

 **?**

The red phone standing on a desk in a shadow rang, and a man picked up the receiver.

" _Da_?"

"Hello, Comrade."

"Ah, Cowboy, nice to hear from you again. How is Project Elysium?"

"We managed to test it on a microscopic scale, a full success. How is your end of the project going?"

" _Proyekt Avrora_ will be tested tomorrow, high noon my time."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Comrade."

"Trust me, Cowboy, I know."

"Some birds chirped the granddaughter of the last Emperor of Karlsland averted a small nuclear crisis, so I wouldn't be so sure you know what you're doing."

"Keep your end of the bargain, Cowboy. I will, because the fate of humanity rests on our shoulders."

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	44. Chapter 44 – Just in time

Chapter 44 – Just in time

* * *

 **Airspace over Volgograd Oblast**

 **2230 MSK**

Aina was looking around on her night patrol, but she saw that her companion suddenly paled and shook her head.

"Tanya, what's happening?" she asked concerned.

"I think I'm gonna hurl…"

"Why would… You…" she looked as the supper Tatiana ate vacated her stomach through her mouth. "Damn… Tanya, seriously, tell me what's happening,"

Tatiana took a deep breath and said, "I accidentally… tuned in on the bug in… Kola's room…"

"Uh… Yeah, and?"

"Since you're a fan of cinematography… Does the title "Deep Throat" ring a bell?"

"Is that the first porn movie that was legally admitted for screening in US cinemas? The one in which…"

Tatiana regurgitated again, and Aina said, "Sorry…"

 _"_ _So Aya is sucking on Kola's knob? Hmmm… Poor Tatiana though, I guess she's still a little girl in those matters…"_

Aina waited for Tatiana to stop throwing up, and she asked, "Can you continue? If not, we can always return and drop you off."

"No, thanks… I'll manage, although I might be a tad hungry towards the end."

"Nah, you don't have to worry about that, I have crackers," Aina smiled, and the moon lit up her cheerful face. "So, are we continuing?"

"Yes, please," Tatiana smiled faintly.

"Tanya wanna cracker?"

"Squawk!"

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Kola's room**

 **January 26 1983**

Kola opened up his eyes and looked to his side, where Aya was sleeping all curled up like a cat.

 _"_ _She really gave everything last night. I heard that my bed cracked in a few places, but we're still in an upright position, so I guess nothing serious broke. Shit, her Super Strength magic surely spiced it up… And she even promised me a surprise for today! Ha! She must feel guilty after being mashed by Sieglinde first, and coming to me as sloppy seconds."_

 _"_ _Maaasteeeer!"_

 _"_ _Oh my fucking god… What, Bianca?"_

 _"_ _Oh Kuro is such a charmer! I think I'm in love!"_

 _"_ _Yay…"_

 _"_ _Oh, Master? Are you not in a mood for a conversation with me?"_

 _"_ _Wow, this is new. You're actually considering my mood for a conversation with you… But go on, I guess I have to return to reality after that night with Aya…"_

 _"_ _Oh, if you don't want…"_

 _"_ _Go on, I can literally feel you being antsy."_

 _"_ _Ah, well… It seems that Kuro and I blend well together."_

 _"_ _Your enthusiasm has sunk dramatically. I guess you really care for my sanity, heheh… Okay, back you your original behavior. Now."_

 _"_ _Really? Oh! Okay! Kuro sooooo understands me! He's really good with words, and is a total sweetie! I mean…"_

"God damn it…" Kola said quietly.

"Who or what are you damning from the morning, hmmm?" Aya asked as she uncurled herself.

"Bianca is trying to turn my brain into jelly by flapping her non-existent gums about how Kuro is her perfect life partner blah blah…"

"Heehee… That's not much different from the talk we're having after sex, is it?"

"But you know, Bianca is kinda only my familiar, and only in my head and you?" he lustrated Aya from top to bottom. "Well, you're living, breathing, and fornicating like mad!"

"Hahaha!" Aya laughed and embraced him with one hand. "Well, Bianca will grow on you, don't worry. Kuro was a bother for me at first, because whenever he made a sound, I almost shat myself, but I accepted him as a companion that I will have till my dying breath. You should think about Bianca the same. Do some small talk with her; ask her about her dreams, et cetera. Just like you did with me," Aya smiled.

"You're the woman here; you know your kind the best," Kola snickered. "A bit too thoroughly I think…"

"But thanks to my… research, Sigi had her little dream fulfilled."

"To have sex with you? Weird dream…"

"You know, she's bisexual."

"That explains some shit... But tell me one thing – why did you say that you possibly will have to do Giulietta today?"

"Because she will be jealous that I did it with Sigi. And wouldn't you want to get hold of those boobs?"

"I refuse to answer without a lawyer…" Kola mumbled.

"Oh come on, tell me, as a man."

"As a man, I would want to lay my hands on those knockers. But you know… Yours fit my hands almost perfectly."

"Oh…" Aya blushed. "Well… I think I'll take that as a complement…"

"I intended it to be one," Kola smiled. "But if you're after boobs, why not go after Elwyn? She has tits the size of Zeppelins!"

"I'm not exactly sure whether she's entirely into girl-on-girl stuff… But if there's a possibility…"

"Seriously, Aya? Another girl to your head count? How about I go around and start fucking the girls?"

"Oh but Kola…"

"No buts, Aya. If you want to fuck around, let me do it too."

"No…" Aya mumbled.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to lend you to anyone… You're mine…" she muttered with a childish voice. "Besides, nobody even mentioned having any intent towards you…"

"Really? Nobody wants to jump on my rod?"

"Nope."

"Shit…"

"Heehee… Methinks everyone just ascertained as a truth revealed that you are my man, and only mine."

"Sounds plausible. You know, I'll allow you under one condition."

"Which is? But please, no more BJ's, I'm still a bit murky after yesterday…"

"No, the condition is simple – teach me how to shoot properly."

"Wait… You are in the army, and you can't shoot? What?"

"I was always "lower ranked technical personnel," Aya. I have been given my Makarov for personal protection, but they didn't even bother to teach me how to shoot."

"But back then when we landed…"

"It wasn't even loaded," he said.

"But you really REALLY don't know how to shoot?"

"Well, I shot off one mag in the period when I was absolutely alone for a few hours after my unit left and before Katie and Ellie came."

"This is… disturbing. Kola, if I have time after training, I'll teach you personally."

"Thanks, Aya. As you see, I'm not your grandfather, who saved the world and became a five-star before he was even my age."

"And I love you just how you are. I will teach you many things, and you can learn some nice stuff once we get to the _West._ "

"Uhhhh… About thaaaat…"

"Hmm?" Aya tilted her head slightly.

"Officially, I don't have any education…" he muttered.

"Oh my… I totally forgot about that! But don't worry! Grandpa and I will get you into gear, and you'll pass some exams. A few months of work, and you'll have high school behind you. Oh, and maybe even Grandma and Mom could help!"

"You think so? You think I could pull that off?"

"Of course! You are very smart, Kola. You'll see, once you start using your brain towards academics, you'll be like a tempest!" Aya cheered.

"I really do hope I won't fail you…" he sighed.

"Don't worry about it right now. Just do your job."

"Yeah, I'll do. How about a kiss?"

"Why not," Aya shrugged and just before she did, Kola pushed her back.

"Um, wash your mouth first…" he mumbled.

"Oh, shit…" Aya muttered but she giggled and went over the window, opened it, took some snow from the windowsill, stuffed it into her mouth, shuddered, and after a few seconds, she spat it out. "Is that good?"

"Perfect!" Kola laughed.

 **Bedroom**

 ** _"_** ** _So, Kye, what's the total headcount for last night?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You did Toshiko, Kola did Aya, Aya did Sieglinde, Giulietta did Nami, Elwyn did herself."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I would be a hypocrite if I gave any comment to this…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Indeed you would be, Erzherzog von Fuckowitz."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Hmmm… Erzherzog… I haven't heard that in a non-historical context since… hooooo… When was the last time somebody called you "Princess"?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Definitely more often, but it's not like everybody is calling me that all the time. I'm not a mortal in any universe right now, so only Joey, Lily, and Shadow call me that."_**

 ** _"_** ** _So right now you're like a goddess should be? Invisible, unheard, and just sometimes tangible through minor miracles?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh you sourpuss you. Let's say I'm not meeting strangers, but I do have family, remember?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah… I wonder how Kamiko looks right now…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Perv."_**

 ** _"_** ** _She's probably legal right now. Bite me."_**

 ** _"_** ** _She's physically sixteen and will never age."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Never?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _She's like her mother and Aunt Joey. Those two stopped aging at sixteen when they were growing up, and Kamiko is strongly taking after them. You could say Kamiko is legal, but she's my grandbaby, too. Keep your intentions toward her chaste, please. You already defiled my redheads, and I don't think Doran would take kindly to you doing that to his granddaughter."_**

 ** _"_** ** _If I may butt in. Kamiko's now a goddess, forever young, and from a family that could be considered royal, spanning for thousands of years. I'm on the other hands an old mortal fart from a lineage of mortal rulers spanning over a few hundred years, and technically a bastard. The misalliance would be dreadful, although I committed one with your redheads, and I don't even know if Kamiko would want me. Furthermore, she's in another universe, and I have no ways of contacting her without you knowing, so I'll pass. Continue please."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Remember what he said about Kaylie and Layla in your 1945 when they were seventeen?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah. Something about a proverbial roof and whatnot. He should loosen his balls, they're… uuuh… smart enough to be adults, I guess."_**

 ** _"_** ** _You tell that to him, it's not bothering me as much as it bothers him. And I really can't believe you used "smart" and my girls in one sentence after all you've experienced with them..."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah. I like them, Kaylie especially. And Kamiko."_**

 ** _"_** ** _You know, they did officially turn eighteen the following year in our time."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I like where this is going."_**

 ** _"_** ** _King Perv the First."_**

 ** _"_** ** _But yeah, I like them better than the rest of your clan. They're the most normal and least "high and mighty" of all the people I met because of you."_**

 ** _"_** ** _If I would let you live with them for a hundred years, everyone would grow on you more or less. It's a shame you didn't get to spend any time with them outside of war. My little sister, Yami, is about the most carefree person I know, but she gets real serious in war. My brother Zen is kind of odd. He means well. Their children are nice too, but I do agree that my girls and Kamiko are the most compatible with your attitude."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Guess it's time to slowly prepare for a new day, huh?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _That would be a proper course of action. Oh, and you will be needed today."_**

 ** _"_** ** _To what extent?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _For now, you'll be needed in Aya's training."_**

 ** _"_** ** _How can you live with the consciousness that you can prevent something but you won't give a fuck about it?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Eons of practice, Toshiro. If you were to be an Elder God, you would most likely behave the same way – observe and give gentle hints and pushes in the right direction, but not outright solve problems. Mortals need to vault the hurdles Fate spreads across the path they're walking through life, or they won't evolve. You perfectly well know that I could just kill all the Neuroi. But you see what my guidance led to?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah, I see. Aya became normal; Karlsland could perform so well in the first hours of the assault…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I saved Katie and Ellie…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _That too… My ego is in shambles right now…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You saved the world once, that's enough for most."_**

 ** _"_** ** _The Yoshika in the world I visited has a better score…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I didn't get to pick my champions. A plethora of circumstances beyond my control led to the fact that Yoshika was born with the power of True Zen, and saved the world multiple times. Tough luck, Bub."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I wonder why I can't have the power of the Allgod though… I'm his champion, and sure, I have my Celestial Order mastered, but only on a mortal level..."_**

 ** _"_** ** _The full power of Celestial Order is something a mortal shouldn't, and cannot wield, sorry."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Ehhh… It seems that I'm not meant to be a double hero… Or am I?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Soon, Toshiro. Everything will be revealed soon. Very, very soon."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Whatever, if shit's meant to hit the fan, the only thing you can do is get an umbrella. Time to officially_** **wake up."**

Toshiro opened his eyes and looked around. Yet another time, he saw Sieglinde half-naked, but this time, she just flexed her muscles in a crab pose with a roguish smile.

"10/10 would bang," he said, admiring her body like out of a spread from Sports Illustrated.

"Heh, thanks, Toshiro," Sieglinde chuckled. "But if you could leave, I won't show you my cooch just like that."

"Sure thing," he smiled and vacated the room. "Oh look, my dear sexually active granddaughter is here," Toshiro said after seeing Aya with a massive case of bed hair coming towards him and massaging her bum with her right hand. "It seems Kola tried anal?"

"Ehh… No, it's just that… Errr… We did it a bit too hard and… When we made out just a few minutes earlier, it just collapsed…"

"A metal bed frame collapsed? Well, you two don't fuck around."

"Heehee… So, why are you standing here? The girls are getting dressed?"

"Yeah. And yet again, I saw Sieglinde in the almost-nude. My… Even Adi didn't have such a body in '45…" he said melancholically.

"Ehh…" Aya sighed. "Okay Grandpa, let me pass, I have to change too."

"Have at it," he moved to the side.

Once Aya entered the room, Giulietta ran up to her, grabbed her right arm lightly, and said, "We need to talk."

"Ooooh, this is getting interesting already… When and where?"

"Come with me to the toilet," Giulietta said with a spark in her eyes.

"I'll come, but let go of my arm already."

"Ah, sorry," she released Aya's arm. "Let's go," she opened the door.

"Going…" Aya sighed and exited into the corridor.

"Back already?" Toshiro asked.

"We have to discuss something in private," Giulietta explained.

"Ah, then go."

The two wandered to the toilet, and Giulietta asked, "How could you?"

"Could what?"

"You gave away your lesbian virginity to Sieglinde! I wanted to be the first one…"

"You didn't call dibs on me, Giulietta. Also, Sieglinde wanted me since soon after we met, so your claims are null and void."

Giulietta pouted heavily.

"Come on, Giulietta, don't behave like that. We're almost adults, and we have a vocabulary encompassing enough words to settle our differences using words."

"I want you…" Giulietta mumbled.

"You want me, okay. Why do you want me?"

"Out of pure sexual desire and jealousy."

"Mhhhmmm… I see. And why do you think I should have sex with you?"

"Because… Uhhhmmm… Errr…"

"You don't have a constructive argument, huh?"

"No…" Giulietta hung her head low. "I'll be going now," she walked slowly towards the exit.

Aya grabbed her hand and said, "Wait. If you want me so badly, I'll do it. Only this once. Consider it a prize for destroying all those Neuroi yesterday."

"R-Reeaaaaally?!"

"Yes, really. Tonight, be prepared."

"I'll bathe twice! Oh thanks Aya! You don't know how much it means to me!" Giulietta jumped up and down, and it was visible that she wasn't wearing a bra yet.

Aya looked mesmerized at the sight before her, but she snapped out of it and said, "Uh, yeah, whatever… Just don't put on such a happy face when you're going back."

"Okay!" the Romagnan cheered.

"And don't brag, please! The matter of the sexual encounters of everyone in the unit is a big enough elephant in the room already as it is."

"Um… Kind of… Probably only Elsa, Marie, Tatiana, and Aina don't know anything. Well, they know about you and Kola, you would be stupid not to think that you just sleep with one another innocently."

"Maybe we do…" Aya smirked. "Nah, we're doing it like maniacs. But for the most time we do sleep, so…"

"Meh, semantics… Okay then Aya, let's go back."

"Let's."

Toshiro watched the two pass him with a raised eyebrow, but he didn't say anything. This time, Sieglinde ran up to both Aya and Giulietta and asked, "Hey, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Giulietta said. "We had to discuss an urgent private matter."

"Really?" Sieglinde looked at Aya.

"Mhhhm," Aya nodded.

"Actually, I don't give a fuck anymore," Sieglinde smiled and turned around, going to her bunk.

"I wouldn't either…" Giulietta mumbled and went to her bunk.

 _"_ _I guess I'll just get dressed..."_

 **Dining hall**

The girls slowly started coming to the dining hall, where the aromas from the kitchen, now occupied by Shinobu and Nami, wafted across.

"You look good, Lily," Katie said. "Fresh like a spring daisy might I add."

"The whole night's sleep helped, Katie. But after breakfast, I want to train," Elizabeth said firmly.

"Okay, I agree. But not too hard, you never know when the Neuroi attack and I don't want your magic reserves drained," Katie said in a lecturing manner, waving her index finger around.

"Of course. And you sure love your lectures…"

"Remember all of them?" Katie smirked.

"Every. Single. One," Elizabeth said slowly.

"Heh… You know, you should call Aunt Melissa and tell her."

"Oh… Ummm… Actually, okay, I'll do it once the time is right. Somewhere around noon or something."

"Morning ladies," Ellie came in with a small smile on her face.

"Morning ma'am!" the girls chimed.

"So, what are you all planning for today?" Ellie asked.

"Aya, Toshiro, and I are going to the forest to train," Alissa said.

"Where is he by the way?"

"Behind you," Alissa answered.

Ellie turned around violently but she only saw the empty doorway. She looked around quickly everywhere, but she couldn't see him.

"Are you making fun of me, Alissa?"

"Oh show yourself, Grandpa. You're not eighteen to pull such pranks," Aya sighed for the umpteenth time today.

Toshiro appeared behind Ellie out of the thin air and said, "Spoilsport."

"Woah!" Ellie shouted surprised. "How did you do that?"

"One of Yuki's useful tricks – invisibility."

"Hey, but I couldn't ping you," Katie said. "How is that possible? You were physically there all the time, right?"

"Your _pings_ couldn't bounce off Toshiro, because the coating absorbs sound waves, besides doing the same for photons," Yuki explained. "Before you ask how is he able to hear or see anything, I'll only say – it's magic, conventional physics don't apply."

"Clever…" Katie said while nodding her head slowly. "But if he can go invisible…" Katie's face reddened suddenly.

"By your reaction I can only guess you're implying that this knucklehead could sneak into your bedroom and defile you in your sleep?"

Katie nodded quickly.

"Katie please," Toshiro said. "I have two _dick-keepers_ ," he pointed out Alissa and Aya. "And I'm saying it for the last, motherfucking time – I'm married, and old!"

"Ahem…" Ellie coughed.

"What?" Toshiro asked.

"Language…" she mumbled.

"I'm surprised you're standing up to me like that. A man's gotta swear once in a while, but not use curses as punctuation marks. Unless you do have some traumatic memories from your childhood about that matter, then I can make my language a bit more… puffy."

"I would appreciate that…"

"Fine. So, no swearing, and no molesting. Unless it's Sieglinde showing off her body."

"What am I hearing right now?" Ellie looked at the said Karlslander.

"I'm proud of the work I poured into making my body a shrine to the God of Lift. Might as well show it to Toshiro as a connoisseur of female bodies," Sieglinde said proudly. "Also, he has something to say about it as a fellow bodybuilder, right?"

"Maybe not a bodybuilder just for the sake of showing it off, but yeah, you can be very proud of the work you've done. Especially to keep your boobs big, heheh…"

"Graaandpaaa… You know that could be pulled up to molesting too? It's not 1945 anymore."

"And who would press charges?"

"Me," Alissa raised her hand with a deadpan face, but she giggled seeing Toshiro's face warped in disapproval.

"Breakfast's ready!" Nami cheered from the kitchen counter suddenly. "Morning, Toshiro!"

"Morning, Nami. Okay, discussions aside, let's grab some grub everyone."

* * *

After breakfast and the after-breakfast break, Aya, Alissa, and Toshiro were standing before the snowy runway.

"You know what to do," Alissa grinned.

Aya and Toshiro looked at each other with disgruntled faces, but then, Toshiro simply dissolved the snow in an instant with his magic.

"Pfff… But I supposed it's to conserve Aya's energy so she can train longer, right?" Alissa asked.

"That and the undeniable fact that I'm simply pissed off being the living snowplow."

"Heehee, thanks Grandpa."

They moved to the usual place, and Alissa pointed to the place that should be clear of snow, but wasn't.

"Oh, I should be the good gramps and clear this snow too?"

"As you wish," Alissa shrugged.

"Stand back then, Aya."

"And me?" Alissa asked innocently.

"I couldn't give two fucks about you in your current state," Toshiro shrugged.

Once Aya backed out, Toshiro pumped his fist in the air, and an omnidirectional blast of magic launched outward and cleared the entire area of snow while simultaneously making snowmen out of Alissa and Aya.

Alissa just made the snow disappear, and Toshiro went after her example, removing the amassment of flakes from his granddaughter with a flick of the wrist.

"Heehee, that was kinda fun, Grandpa," Aya grinned. "When can I try that?"

"Who knows, you're smarter than me during the Second Neuroi War…"

"Heh… Wait, so now you're smarter?" Aya tilted her head.

"I didn't check it with a test, but I think after the war something changed in my brain, making me think way more clearly."

"Now this is intriguing…" Aya pondered. "I guess you don't want to brag, right, Grandpa?"

"Yeah, kinda…" Toshiro stretched himself and yawned. "But officially you're the smartest in the family, and that will stay valid," he winked.

"Whatever now, Grandpa," Aya shrugged.

"What's this training session about?" Toshiro asked.

"Aya trained with me yesterday to get her Celestial Aura in grip. It's still a bit rickety, but if she trains with you, she will have better motivation."

"Rickety? Aya, I thought your willpower could move mountains, if you'd had the magic capabilities to do that."

"It seems that my willpower doesn't have much to do with the Celestial Aura in this world, Grandpa… One time I can keep it up for a few minutes, the other time I can't even fire it up. A total mystery."

"Ugh… Smells like a Kye trial from a mile," Toshiro muttered. "So, why am I needed?"

"You'll spar with Aya, that's all."

"That's really all?" both asked at the same time.

"Yes. Nothing like a fight of generations to liven up the mood."

"How are we supposed to spar in this small circle?" Aya asked.

Alissa pointed upwards, and Aya immediately understood.

"Now this is interesting!" Toshiro shouted. "Come on, Aya, let's have a spar! Like that previous time!"

"So no holds barred?" Aya asked.

"None at all," Toshiro grinned fiercely.

"Ooooooooh… This will indeed be interesting…" Aya laughed quietly and summoned Hikarimaru, and clad herself in her Magic Drive aura. "Are you up for it, Grandpa?"

Oblivion Lost appeared in Toshiro's right hand and with that the Celestial Aura around him, and he said, "Like never."

The two kicked off the ground and flew up.

 **Forest**

 **1104 MSK**

"I lost count of our duels today…" Toshiro said while grasping for air under a pine. "Oh fuck… Oh shit…"

"It's a… draw…" Aya said while lying over his lap on her back. "Oh my… Oh boy… Oh everything…"

"And still… You only used… The Celestial Aura… For a few minutes summarily…"

"Wait a minute… Grandpa…"

They waited a minute to catch their breaths, and Aya continued. "I really don't know what's going on. In the simulation, I could use it for more than a few minutes. Now, I can use it only for one or two minutes, and it goes poof."

"What do you say to that, Kye?" Toshiro asked as she approached.

"First, Toshiro, tell Aya how you mastered the Celestial Aura yourself."

"It just came to me in a fit of rage while having a duel with Mio in the sim. From that moment on, I could use it freely, just like that."

"So… It just came to you? Boooo…" Aya sulked. "Alissa, how can I learn that Aura?"

"I could tell it to you, but that would defeat the purpose of the training. In addition, the few minute spurts during which you can use it are enough for now anyway. If all else fails, you can awaken Hikarimaru, and use your Overdrive Aura."

"Good things come to those who wait, right?" Aya asked.

Alissa patted her on the head and said, "Indeed, Sweetie. Now go, I regenerated you, so you can teach Kola what he wanted to know."

"Oh, thanks!" Aya cheered and ran away just like that.

"Kye, answers, now," Toshiro said adamantly.

"A partial answer is the fact that you're the original champion of the Allgod, so your compatibility with him is the highest, especially that you used his power more than Aya did. Your body is simply used to it."

"But I bet that's not all."

"Of course not," Alissa smiled. "But don't worry, Bub, Aya will use that aura in a masterful way sooner than you think. Now, do you want me to heal you completely, or do you want to take a dip after I heal you mostly?"

"Is there something implied to the second choice?"

"Weeeeelll…" Alissa mused. "You can pick a bath partner…" she started rocking herself back and forth on her heels. "I'll pass, but you can have Toshiko or Livy."

"Oh, I volunteer!" Livy suddenly appeared in a white towel covering her from armpits to slightly below her butt, and another one on her head.

"Dear gods! But Livy, won't the Allgod rip me a new one for tomfoolery with you? You're his partner after all."

"Master has lent me to you, Master Toshiro, in whole, so if you'd like…" she placed her right index finger on her lower lip flirtatiously.

"Yoshika would skin me alive… But I suppose I could give you a massage or something… Whew, is it spring already, cuz I'm hot…" Toshiro loosened up his collar nervously.

"Heehee, come on, Master, let's take a dip."

"But Kye was supposed to…"

"Done. By me," Livy said proudly. "Now, you go there on your own, and I'll just appear in my usual way, Master."

"Aye aye!" Toshiro shouted and ran away.

"By the Primordial Goddess, when will you tell him, Kye?" Livy asked with a sour face.

"That and not only that will happen soon. Trademark, copyright, all rights reserved."

"Do you promise it? It's painful for me to watch Master being a mortal in the total darkness…" Livy said with a sad visage.

Alissa placed her hand on Livy's shoulder and she said, "I promise, I'll tell him…" she whispered something to Livy, to which her eyes sparked up immediately.

"Really?!"

"Yes," Alissa smiled warmly.

"Thank you, Kye."

"We Elder Gods should keep together. Now shoo, go and entertain him. In a platonic way, if possible."

"Heehee… Only 41 years and I can level up our relationship," Livy winked and disappeared.

"Poor thing…" Alissa sighed. "Eons loving a guy who couldn't read or respond her emotions… No wonder she's so giddy, now that Adam has been revived, and given her previous track record with Toshiro…" she quietly said to herself. "But she agreed to his conditions involuntarily, so it's partially her own fault that she's in pain now…"

 **Hangar**

Aya waited for Kola after making some agreements through comms with Ellie. She took Ellie's AKS-74 and a few mags, and placed them on her lap. Her own private MG3 H1 was resting on the side of the Launch Unit, with a spare tape she took from the ammo crate wrapped around the barrel, along with Elizabeth's M82.

" _Gospodin_!" Kola shouted as he saw the arsenal around Aya. "Are we preparing for a new war?"

"Heehee… Well, I want to give you a crash course on various weapons. Did you bring a spare mag for your Makarov as I told you?"

"Of course, my dear instructor," Kola smiled.

"Let's go then. Ellie made a makeshift firing range to train Marie, so we'll use that. Take the Light Fifty and the MG3, okay?"

"And you're just carrying that AKS? What kind of sexual parity is that?"

"Bear me a child, and I'll carry all the weapons for you," Aya rebuked. "Come on; are you not a noble gentleman?"

"A noble without a square foot of land…" Kola sighed. "But yeah, if my fair maiden requires it from me, I will carry everything!"

"Heehee…"

Laden with the weapons, they exited the hanger through the back entrance.

"This is it," Aya said after they arrived, showing the range to Kola with a wide hand gesture.

"Makeshift, but I guess we have to use what we have. So, what's first?"

"First, some basic theory. Give me you Makarov," Kola threw her his pistol silently. "Now then, are you familiar with weapon parts?"

"Well somewhat… I have a repair diagram for that in my room."

"Ah, okay then, I'll skip that. Now, rule number one, is that you NEVER E-V-E-R point a gun at another person, unless you want to injure or potentially kill them."

"That's pretty self-explanatory."

"Oh no, Kola, many people forget this. And believe me, rare mechanical failures happen, and a gun with a chambered round can fire off, and this particular gun has no firing pin spring or firing pin block, so without the safety on, it can fire when dropped. Also, you can never be sure that a gun is not loaded. Many people died because they thought a gun is empty, and then boom, a shot."

"Mmmhmmm…"

"Well, what's all for now. Come on, let's walk up to the first target, and let's see if you're worthy of calling yourself my husband," Aya giggled.

Kola shook his head and walked after Aya. "Okay, stop. We have about ten meters to the target, enough for an amateur I think. You know a good firing stance?" she asked and threw him his gun.

He just raised his gun like that and aimed freely at the target.

"Heehee… That would work in a gangster movie, but not in real life. Well, of course, one hand shooting is possible, but you lack the proficiency. Mind if I mess around with your stance a bit?"

"You're messing with my whole body in bed; I have nothing against some random touching through clothes," he smiled wryly.

"Oh you perv…" Aya sighed and moved him in a proper firing stance, with a firm two-hand grip included. "There you go. Look at your legs, and your arms, and memorize this position."

"I got it, I feel it."

"Good boy. Now, pull the slide, slide the safety, align the sights, and let's see if you're not blind."

Kola did all those steps with a bit of anxiety, but he finally pressed the trigger. The gun kicked up and back, and he said, "This feeling… My ears are ringing, but it's so damn fun!"

"Hahaha! A true man loves firing guns! Okay, discharge the whole mag and we'll evaluate you."

"Roger!" Kola cheered and fired off the remaining seven 9x18 rounds. "Wee!"

"Haha! Okay, let's see… One shot off target, boo… However, the rest went in. Did you aim at a specific part?"

"Nah, just the silhouette," he replied.

"Well, that's a plausible tactic. Okay, pop in the next mag and have fun."

With hands shaking from excitement, he changed the mag and fired off the whole thing.

"Still fun?" Aya asked with a smile.

"Bah! How did I do?"

"Three head shots, you're improving. Safety on, and back into the pocket with it. Now we're going for something bigger."

Kola holstered his gun and picked up Ellie's backup rifle. "This one?"

"Yup. Hold it like you're holding it now," Aya said and came closer and started pointing out parts. "Firing mode selector, safety, mag release, charging handle. Can you piece it together?"

"Do I look dumb to you?"

"Umm… From a neutral standpoint, you have an archetypical Slavic type of beauty associated with more physical labor than pursuit of knowledge…" Aya fidgeted around. "B-But I guess that's why I fell for you…"

"My manliness triggered something inside of you?" Kola asked coyly.

"Heh… That and your kindness towards me…" Aya blushed. "But enough of sweet talk! Let's move to the second target, at a hundred meters."

After relocating, Aya commanded. "Fire a whole mag in single fire mode."

Kola pulled the charging handle with a characteristic crunch for the AK family, and he aimed at the target down the range.

He pulled the trigger, and even he saw that the tracer tipped round hit the target.

"Woah!"

"Easy, Kola, easy… Twenty nine more left." Aya said with an honest smile.

After the rounds were expended, Kola asked, "Full auto now?"

"Of course, my dear. Oh, and you have quite a nice aim – 25 of 30 in target."

"Uhhh… Thanks…" Kola mumbled.

"Now, you don't need to be more embarrassed than you are currently."

"Heh… My two years younger fiancé is teaching me how to shoot… I should burn from shame on the spot," he sighed.

"Maybe if we were in Liberion, but that's irrelevant now. Now, you change the mag and use controlled bursts to make some holes in that target."

Kola reloaded, and simply squeezed down the trigger, which resulted the ten wasted round.

"I said controlled…" Aya frowned.

"And I never shot anything fully automatic in my life, cut me some slack…"

"Just squeeze the trigger as if it was one of my nipples," Aya said with a straight face but soon blushed wildly. "Did I just use that analogy?"

"Pretty much yes. Okay then…" Kola resumed his shooting, and soon heard the sound that meant, "You're empty."

"Mmmmm…" Aya pondered. "Reasonable accuracy. Next!"

"Oh, but I see that you still have some mags…" Kola said with a disappointed look.

"Later. Don't you want to shoot such a big gun like the MG3? Hmmm?"

"It's… tempting," Kola squinted his eyes and looked at the big machinegun.

"Heehee… Nobody with a spark for weaponry can't resist! Okay, this is a bit easier to operate. Unwrap the belt from around the barrel, and insert the guide, that piece of leather at the beginning, into the feed tray."

"And then?" he asked.

"Then I'll guide you, so if you'd crouch…"

"Okaaaaaay…"

Kola crouched beside the weapon, and did as he was instructed. Aya then took his right hand and pulled the belt a bit.

"Did you feel that?"

"My heart skipping a beat or the round bumping a bit?"

"Heehee… The second one of course. Now pull the charging handle, and… well, you can firing it from a standing position; you're a wizard with enough muscle mass to make a pig meant for slaughter blush."

"Weird complement, but I'll bite," Kola underlined his sentence by pulling the charging handle. "Same target?"

"Yes."

He stood up and sent a burst towards the target. "I love the sound!"

"And I love that you've controlled the burst surprisingly well! Fire on!" Aya cheered.

Kola fired on, but when the belt was about to end, he surprisingly stopped.

"Hmm?" he tilted his head.

"Jam," Aya explained. "Pull the charging handle, forcefully if needed."

Kola did it, releasing an expended cartridge and a link, and asked, "Can I resume?"

"Want to have some fun?" she asked.

"Yeah, fun is always… fun."

"Heehee… Why not finish that belt from the hip?"

"Do I look like I'm John Rambo?" he smirked.

"Ooooh, you saw that movie? Already?" Aya asked surprised.

"A week before you girls all moved in, we had movie night."

"I see," Aya smiled. "Well, I just proposed."

"And I'll heed your word," Kola aimed forward and let off a string of rounds, including three tracers. "That was… magical."

"Right? Okay, the last weapon for today, Liz's M82. I have to warn you, it uses .50 caliber rounds, so you have to watch for the recoil. But paradoxically, you can't anticipate it."

"Why so?"

"Every little twitch of your muscles will throw off your aim. Now, take the rifle and let's go to the 400 meter target."

Kola took the enormous rifle with him and stood beside Aya.

"Loading it won't be a problem, and _just_ shooting also won't. But if you want to do it properly, you have to lie down and…"

"Elizabeth shoots it from an upright position, I think," Kola interrupted.

"Because she has magic stabilizing her shots. Well of course, somebody of your stature, with some training, could probably shoot that rifle from a standing stance. But for now, just drop down in the snow and fire. Wait a second; I'll clear up some room."

Aya summoned her sword and swatted out some of the snow, and she disappeared in the hangar briefly, returning with a piece of canvas.

"I can't let you dirty your uniform; I'll be the one cleaning it afterwards," Aya lectured him, but she cracked up nonetheless.

Kola spread it on the ground and lied down. He loaded the rifle and before he looked through the scope, Aya said, "Don't put your eye close to the scope."

"Recoil?"

"Yup."

Kola placed his face about ten centimeters from the scope, and looked through it with one eye closed. "I see a shadow on the right side…"

"Move your eye a bit so there's none." Aya advised.

"It works," he said. "So what, I just squeeze the trigger now?"

"No, no. You have to squeeze it when you exhale, not too forcefully, with one fluid move."

Kola started doing breath cycles, but then he said, "The scope is dancing around the place…"

Aya crouched beside him, and placed her hand in his shoulder. "Relax, Kola. Breathe slowly, and don't worry about a thing."

He took a few more breaths, and finally pulled the trigger, causing the little snow left before him to kick up.

"Holy fuck…" he said amazed.

"And you even hit!"

"Incredible… But… I think there's a speck on the scope, could you look?"

"Okay, move over."

Kola moved over, but just as Aya lied down, he turned her over on her back and pinned her down to the canvas.

"N-Not now, Kola… Somebody might eavesdrop… A spy satellite might be over us right now…" Aya said nervously.

"Oh, so you're not afraid of anything, in private, but outside of my room, it's only hugs and kisses?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Okay then…" Kola planted a kiss on her lips, in a way that made her writhe in pleasure under him. "There's no speck by the way."

"Oh you horny liar…" she pouted. "Back to work, mister," Aya stood up.

"Didn't like my small initiative?"

"There's time and place for everything," Aya said indifferently. "But I did like it…"

"Heh…"

Kola fired off eight more rounds, and when he stopped, Aya carefully asked, "I hope you're not trying to push me down again under the guise of a jam?"

"No, I'll try something," he said, stood up, and started aiming.

"You really like taking the initiative," Aya smiled.

Kola fired and said, "I think I hit."

"You did, bravo, Kola. Want to shoot those remaining mags from the AKS, or…"

"No, it would be a waste. Let's wrap up everything and go back to the main building."

"How reasonable," Aya giggled.

 **Bath**

"How is it, Master?" Livy asked Toshiro, who was kneaded by her agile hands.

"Divine…" Toshiro sighed in bliss.

"Heehee… I expected nothing less."

"I should be the one massaging you…" Toshiro sighed, this time from embarrassment.

"Oh please, Master… I will serve you in any way possible," Toshiro could feel the warmth of her face near his way. "ANY way…" she whispered in such a sultry voice that made his knees week.

"Okay, okay, okay! Enough, please… Offf…" he exhaled deeply. "As much as I want to add you to my trophy list, it's not fair towards the Allgod."

Livy went silent for a few seconds and said, "Okay, Master… But at least massage me as you said you would..."

"Okay," Toshiro turned around and saw Livy leaned back. "I'm not massaging your breasts, Livy, they don't need to grow more?"

"Oh don't they? My double D's are enough for you? I can change my bodily features as much as I want, Master."

"Turn around already…" he mumbled.

"Oh, are you going to…"

"Stop already, damn you!" Toshiro yelled. "I'm not eighteen anymore! I can't just fuck every woman that wants a piece of me! I'm married, have three kids, and a spotless reputation!"

"I… I'm sorry for making you nervous, Master…" Livy apologized quietly. "If you still have it in your heart, please massage me, I won't provoke you anymore…"

Toshiro slowly moved his hand towards Livy's head, which she hid between her arms, and patted it.

"Come on, Livy… I know you meant well, but I really can't… Unless you wiped my memories afterwards, but what would be the point then?"

"Not much sense would me made…"

"And I appreciate that you're at least somewhat acting like a mortal girl, really."

"I know that you hate how Kye behaves…" Livy cracked a small smile.

"How about telling me some things that she won't tell me, hmmm? You're in the same _group_ so to speak."

"I can't, Master. I swore Kye that I won't reveal some things before she gives me a green light…" Livy said sadly.

"Damn it… Oh well, let's get that massage over with, shall we?"

"Oh, can you enable your Celestial Aura for that, Master?" Livy asked with sparkling eyes.

"Sure, why not…" he shrugged and enveloped himself in the cosmic power.

 _"_ _I agreed to the memory wipe of my Master, so I have to power on through this trial… Oh why is love such a double-edged sword… I want to love you at all times…"_

 **?**

"Professor Sakharov, we received a green light for the operation!" a young Fusojin scientist shouted.

"Good, Isshiki, good… Everyone, proceed with phase one!"

The man called Sakharov approached the window of the concealed bunker. Three enormous silo door opened, and three spherical constructions slid out of the ground.

"Very good…"

"Phase one completed!" Isshiki shouted.

"Start phase two!" Sakharov commanded.

The lights in the bunker dimmed slightly, and the generators started glowing purple.

" _Avrora-1_ and _Avrora-2_ working at 99.9% efficiency! _Avrora-3_ is lagging one hundredth behind!"

"Turn down the power of the two to match generator three," Sakharov said.

"Roger… Power of all three generators is optimal and synchronized!"

"Start phase three!"

"Roger!"

Three purple beams shot from the generators, focusing in one point a few hundred meters above ground, and producing one enormous beam shooting up into the sky. The clouds started swirling in the place where the beam pierced them, and soon, a purple light started shining from the clouds and slowly expanding.

" _Gospodin_ …" Sakharov sighed and crossed himself thrice.

"Wormhole generation successful!" Isshiki cheered. "It's 99% stable!"

"P-Proceed with phase four!"

"Roger!" Isshiki grabbed the phone. "This is the _Avrora_ control center! Launch the rocket!"

 **Project Avrora Rocket Silo**

 **Control Room**

" _Otkryt' raketyyego bunkera_!"

" _Tak tochno_!"

The enormous silo door slid to the side, revealing the wormhole directly above them.

" _Gospodin_ …" the man in control gasped. " _Zapustit' raketnyye dvigateli_!"

" _Tak tochno_!"

The commander looked at the enormous MR-UR-100UTTh _Sotka_ missile standing straight in the middle of the silo. As by magic, the initial liquid fuel engines ignited, producing a thunderous roar and obscuring the view with an enormous amount of smoke.

 **Project Avrora Control Bunker**

The gathered looked as the missile flew like an arrow of light towards the wormhole, and disappeared inside of it.

Minutes passed in a nervous atmosphere, and then, a capsule on a parachute started flying down from the wormhole. The whole bunker started cheering, but then, Neuroi started swarming out of the wormhole in dozens.

"Shit! Close it! Close it now!"

"We can't, Professor! The generators are not reacting!"

Just then, an enormous battleship of a size not yet seen descended out of the wormhole. At least a kilometer long, it looked like the wet dream of a naval passionate, albeit he would have to like the color red with black hexagons dotted over it.

"Call the 777th immediately!" Sakharov yelled.

* * *

 **Now who might those Sakharov and Isshiki be… One is a real person, and one is a reference.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	45. Chapter 45 – HD-X

Chapter 45 – HD-X

* * *

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Commander's room**

The phone on Ellie's desk started ringing; however she could only squeeze out a lazy, "Yeah?" out her throat.

"Please help us! We have made a great mistake!" a voice of a young man with an almost untraceable Fusojin accent shouted in panic.

"First, identify yourself, mister."

"Professor Kentarou Isshiki, I'm calling from a secret facility east of Volgograd! Please help us!"

"If this is a prank call…" Ellie started being a bit irritated.

"Just look outside for fucks sake!" he yelled.

"Why you…" Ellie prepared for a counter-attack, but she calmed down and replied, "Okay, wait, I will, but I don't have a window going out south here. Wait a second…"

"Pleeaaaaaase…" the man squealed hopelessly as Ellie dropped the receiver on the desk.

She ran out of the office and opened the door outside.

"What the fuck…" she exclaimed after an enormous spiral like cloud dozens of kilometers from here, with a purple beam coming down from it towards the ground, as well as a long red object descending along the beam. "Holy shit!"

She ran back to her office and picked up the phone immediately.

"What the hell is that?!"

"I don't have time to explain! Rally your whole unit! The Neuroi are swarming in hundreds! There's even some new variant of the HD type!"

"Where are you?"

"We're in a bunker near where the beam is! Please…"

"Okay, shut it! We're coming, hang tight!" she slammed the receiver and turned towards the PA panel. "Everyone in combat readiness in one minute! We have a predicament of biblical proportions here! Kola, to my office, on one leg!"

Ellie opened one of the metal cupboards and pulled out a long shape wrapped in white burlap, as well as a white ghillie suit. Kola appeared in the door in just a few seconds.

"What is it, Ellie?"

"This is the real deal, but we can't rule out this could be some kind of ruse. Did Aya teach you how to shoot a sniper rifle?"

He nodded. She threw him the wrapped shape and the ghillie suit, and said, "Go and hide in the forest, just in case somebody could come for you while we're gone."

"What's this?" he asked.

"A memento recovered from Warsaw…" she said bitterly and rummaged her desk. "Here!" she threw him a device.

"What's this?" he asked again.

"A transponder, it's set to the proper frequency, so it's basically push-to-talk."

"Ah, okay then," he said as she was rummaging her desk even more, and hid something in her jacket.

"Go now!" she shouted.

Kola ran out without a word, and Ellie quickly took her coat, running towards the lobby. Alissa, Aya, and Toshiro were already there.

"What the fuck did those commies do?" Toshiro asked.

"I really don't know, but there was something about a secret facility…"

"Mother fuckers! I bet they're experimenting with Neuroi Tech! I'll rip them a new one!"

"Are you sure you want to participate?" Ellie asked.

"I have to, as well as Alissa. I can sense the mass of enemies from here, and believe me, we REALLY have to go."

"Toshiro's right," Alissa said. "Even if I risk falling into a coma, I have to participate too."

"Thanks," Ellie said. "I know that Aya's potential seems almost limitless, but with the Hero of Karlsland, and somebody who trained the current generation of Karlslander witches almost singlehandedly, I feel more at ease."

The girls started swarming in in one line, and soon all of them, even the just awakened night witches gathered.

"Girls, I won't lie – we're up shit creek without a paddle."

"Oh crap…" Katie said. "If Ellie is swearing, then we are, pardon my Latin, fucked up."

"Indeed, Katie," Ellie confirmed. "The enemy count is currently unknown, but we're operating in the "hundreds" scale. Also, there's an enormous HD class there, so this is quite possibly the biggest battle we'll be fighting in our lives."

"I can confirm," Alissa said. "Even the day zero defense of Karlsland was potentially proportionally smaller."

"So even you are going?" Tatiana asked.

"Yes, Sweetie, me too."

"Oh… I'll protect you no matter what!"

"Did we miss something?" Sieglinde asked.

"Irrelevant right now," Ellie answered. "Witches, sortie!"

 **Airspace over Volgograd Oblast**

"Sweet baby Jesus…" Elwyn gasped seeing the mass of enemies. "We are supposed to kill THAT?!" she pointed out at the enormous Heavy Dreadnought class Neuroi hovering over the ground.

"I have never seen such an enormous Neuroi before…" Marie trembled. "Do we even stand a chance?"

Toshiro placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "We do, Marie. Just believe in yourself, and believe in your friends," he smiled warmly, but his face turned into a neutral grimace, as if carved in stone, and the turned to everyone. "Everyone stop!" he commanded, making everyone stop immediately.

"Be vigilant! If that thing has at least a tenth of the firepower it looks like, the beams it could shoot are no match for your shields! Dodging the beams of that behemoth is your priority, but you have to be wary of all its minions! You all have to be total concentrated! Tatiana, to me!"

Tatiana quickly flew up to him and asked, "Yes, Toshiro?"

"Patch me through to somebody who might know something about this mess."

"But I don't know…" Tatiana frowned but she was interrupted.

"Tanya, try the General Secretary of the Communist Party himself, we don't have time to spare, or fucks to give," Toshiro said.

"O-Okay!" Tatiana responded briskly and touched Toshiro with his hands.

Her whole body started glowing with a faint azure glow, and Toshiro soon heard a nervous "Da?" in his transponder.

"Comrade Andropov?"

"Yes, who is it? I don't have time for unnecessary calls right now."

"This is Bundesmarschall Toshiro von Edelweiss, and I'm on scene of this disaster your eggheads have brought upon the Volgograd Oblast. Care to explain?"

" _Gospodin i Svyataya Mat'…_ " he gasped. "What do I owe the honor of such a visit in my country?"

"I'm visiting the 777th, specifically my granddaughter. I hope you have nothing against it?"

"No, no! Of course not!" Andropov's voice shivered audibly. "About the incident… This is _Proyekt Avrora_ , a wormhole generator."

"Why the flying fuck did you make a wormhole generator?! And where does it lead to?!" Toshiro yelled furiously.

"The scientists think it leads to the home world of the Neuroi, but we had to send a spy satellite to see if that's true," Andropov replied, trying to be calm.

"So you basically opened a gateway to hell, without knowing the consequences? Bravo, comrade…" Toshiro said sarcastically. "I'll interrogate the people on site myself, but right now, I need the power cut to the whole damn oblast to close the gate!"

"Yes, of course! The scientists are reporting that the controls are malfunctioning, so I will immediately inform the relevant power plants to shut down immediately."

"Who else is involved?" Toshiro asked suddenly.

"The Liberians, President Reagan himself," Andropov replied quietly. "They're building a _present_ for the Neuroi…"

Toshiro pieced the puzzles together and answered, "I hope this is worth it, comrade. Good day," he said and cut the connection. He looked at Tatiana, who gazed at him with her mouth wide open.

"W-What…"

"I don't have to give fucks anymore, Tatiana," Toshiro said bitterly. "Now, Ellie, I hope you have a battle plan ready?"

"Yes, of course! I have a specific role for you, Angela," Ellie turned to the Karlslander.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You will be our _eye in the sky_ , so to speak. Do I need to elaborate?"

"No, ma'am," Angela smiled. "Somebody has to watch this battle from a different perspective, and with my inherent magic, I'll be the best for it," she said and flared up above them.

"Good girl…" Ellie said quietly. "Now, Tanya and Marie, you stick together, you will complement each other nicely."

"Yes ma'am!" the two answered.

"Nami and Elizabeth, you two lay down fire from the distance."

"Roger!" the pair cheered.

"Aina, you stay close to me, I might have use of that revolver of yours."

"Okay, ma'am," the Suomi said and flew in closer.

"Katie, you support Elsa, especially once she's out of bullets for her minigun."

"Right on!" Katie pumped her fist.

"Shinobu, Giulietta, and Sieglinde – you form one squad. Try not to be too reckless."

"Of course!" the three responded briefly.

"And you three…" she looked at Aya, Toshiro, and Alissa with a wild grin. "Try not to spoil the fun for others?"

"Me? Spoiling fun? Neeeeeveeeer…" Toshiro snickered.

"Come on, Grandpa; let's show the enemy what we're made of!" Aya cheered.

"Give us the signal, Ellie," Alissa said with a smile.

"Witches, into battle!" Ellie shouted.

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Forest**

Kola dug himself quickly in the snow and pulled the ghillie suit over him. It was a bit too small for him, but it was enough for now.

"Now, I wonder what present Ellie gave me," he pondered quietly and unwrapped the burlap. "I think I saw such a thing earlier…" he said as he looked at a winter camo laid Dragunov sniper rifle, complete with an NSPU night vision scope, and a bandolier with spare mags.

Kola looked closer, and he saw a few notches on the butt stock, and a small letter "G." under it.

"A memento from Warsaw… This must be… Yes… You are really putting some trust into me, Ellie," he smiled slightly, pulled up the weapon to a proper position, and started observing the entrance to the main building.

"If only I knew what these markings mean…" he sighed.

 **Battlefield**

As presumed by Ellie, the first enemies to come were the Supersonic class. Whole dozens of red Neuroi rushed at supersonic speed towards the 777th and guests in a horizontal line formation. Elsa immediately used that weakness of the enemy, and after flipping the ROF switch on her minigun to 2k, she mowed most of the Neuroi down a constant stream of 20-millimeter armor-piercing-incendiary rounds.

Some of the explosions triggered chain reactions because of the proximity of other Neuroi, gracing the witches with a pearly string of red explosions.

"Pushovers, hahahahaha!" Elsa cheered frantically.

A few Neuroi that survived the onslaught were taken down by shots from Katie and Ellie.

"Don't get lazy too soon!" Ellie shouted. "Interceptors incoming!"

" _Mutter Gottes_ …" Elsa said as she saw the swarm of beam chaingun equipped enemies, in an even bigger force than their predecessors, and evenly spread across the sky, which in split second filled itself with thousands of beams.

Aya, Toshiro, and Alissa reacted immediately and erected three enormous shields, while powered up by their auras.

Elizabeth didn't dawdle and she started picking off the Neuroi one by one. But then, Angela reported disturbing news.

"The HB's are going towards Volgograd! Chase after them, or it will be a hecatomb there!"

"Roger!" Sieglinde responded. "Come on, guys!" she rallied up her two comrades.

"You don't have to say that again!" Shinobu said as she pushed forward.

The group of three quickly spotted ten of Inverted HB-5's. Bigger than any manmade bomber, and equipped with six beam turrets, they would strike fear in the hearts of less witches. However, not in the heart of one of them.

"REPPUZAN!" Shinobu yelled as she swung Nagareboshi, and the attack carved through the nearest Neuroi, slicing the core in half.

"Well shit…" Sieglinde muttered and zipped forwards.

She put up a shield before her, and it turned yellow just a second later. Giulietta immediately used the occasion and tagged behind her. The barrage of enemy fire focused on the Karlslander, but her shield was nigh impenetrable now. Sieglinde stretched her arms out to the sides, and after a slow counterclockwise spin for about thirty degrees, she yelled, "STURM!", as she set off towards the nearest enemy. Surrounded by a wind of ether, she drilled through three of the enemies, before she flared upwards, with two orbs in her hands.

Just a second before, Giulietta crashed into two of the enemies using her inherent magic with a satisfied grin on her face.

"BLITZKRIEG!" Sieglinde roared after her attack stabilized, and she threw it into a group of three enemies, detonating the orb with seventy-meter wide explosion.

Shinobu whistled in amazement as she charged from the bottom of the last bomber.

"UNYOU!" she shrieked and busted through the Neuroi in a flurry of flakes.

"Yes!" Sieglinde pumped her fist in the air. "Totally obliterated!"

"High five!" Giulietta raised her hand, and Sieglinde slammed it. "Ow, not so hard!"

"Whoops, sorry, heh…"

"Back to the main battle, come on," Shinobu said and looked up at the wormhole. "Hey, that thing is disappearing!"

"You think it's a good sign?" Giulietta asked.

"I hope…"

* * *

In the main group, Toshiro also noticed it, as well as the beam shutting down.

"Whew…" he exhaled in relief. "I hope nothing more will come… Fuck…" he exclaimed bitterly as he saw a single Inverted HD-5 coming down from the wormhole just before it closed. "I'll take care of it before it starts doing any damage."

"Roger, Grandpa!" Aya said.

He made his way upwards, pushing the ion engines to their maximum. Clad in the Pure Flame of Kōjin, he dodged the oncoming fire from the enemy.

 _"_ _Toshiro, stop!"_

He stopped in his place immediately, just as a beam a hundred meters in diameter crossed the air before him. He looked surprised at the unclassified Neuroi battleship, seeing a cannon half the size of the enemy itself pointing towards him.

 _"_ _Holy shit tits Batman! Thanks, Yuki!"_

 _"_ _This was an obvious trap, you numbskull! Go, before that thing recharges!"_

Toshiro diluted time and found himself on deck of the HD-5 quickly. He raised his fist and pushed his aura to the Celestial state. His fist shone like a supernova he dropped it on the enemy, shouting, "STERNZERLEGER!"

The great dreadnought disappeared, destroyed on quantum state level, not leaving a trace behind.

"Incredible!" Aya cheered across the comms. "Come back, Grandpa!"

"On it!" he responded and flew towards the rest, seeing as the returning trio made a strafing run from the flank on the Interceptors. He caught a glint on the corner of his vision and diluted time, seeing a swarm of rockets being shot at him from at least a hundred of Mediums. For now, he retreated back to the rest, letting the missiles pass.

"Did you see all of that, Aya?" he asked.

"Yes, it seems we have something to do."

"Guess again, Toshiro," Alissa said and pointed out into the fray. "The girls are eager for battle."

"Wow, I guess I can't underestimate them." He said and dropped down his aura a notch.

Marie started peppering the enemies with the bullets from her FAMAS, and hidden closely behind her, Tatiana was also shooting from her compact rifle.

With an NSVS and a PKMSN to disposition, Ellie and Aina covered the two from a different angle, while. Aina used her inherent magic to predict the positions of the enemies, not to waste bullets, but Ellie took a different approach and fired controlled five round bursts, even faster than from the experimental rifle Elwyn was using, with tremendous results, as the 12.7mm AP rounds ripped through the enemies with ease.

And the Liberian was using it with gladness, as she appeared, shot a burst, and disappeared again, only to appear in a different place with the same result.

Marie saw an opportunity as a dozen of enemies came close together. She put her hand forward, and while her hair was fluttering, and small arcs of electricity jumping between her fingers, she shouted, " _Éclair_!".

The chain lightning made short notice of not only the dozen she initially wanted to dispose, but also another two that came close enough for the magic to bounce over to them.

After a quick staccato from three MG's, Sieglinde, Giulietta, and Shinobu destroyed the last Mediums.

"The big one started releasing drones!" Angela reported. "Herr Gott… There's hundreds of them! And they're merging!"

She looked as the Drones were merging into grape type clusters, each from at least twenty single drones. However, despite the large quantity of enemies, they forgot to keep their distance. Elsa quickly changed to her full canister, and holding a hidden button, she moved the ROF switch to an unmarked position. She raised the six barreled monster of a gun.

"Wait a second, Elsa!" Katie flew up to her, and grabbed her shoulder, glowing slightly orange. "Now!"

"Can you handle this, Katie? This is far faster than you think."

"I can handle anything! Let 'er rip!"

"Okay!" Elsa shouted with a fierce visage and pressed the trigger.

The gun spat a ten-meter fire, and now the sound of the rounds being fired could only be compared to dentist's drill, as one hundred sixty-six High Explosive Incendiary rounds left the six barrels in one second. The grape clustered drones, as well as some free flyers were swept away in the torrent for flaming rounds, ripping them apart or cracking them into pieces from explosions.

"Damn…" Katie said quietly.

"Oh fuck!" Elsa shouted and looked at the near-white hot barrels. "Katie, is there a VERY big snowdrift somewhere?!"

"Eeeerr…" Katie pondered and pinged the ground beneath her. "Directly under me, ten meters!"

"Thanks!" Elsa shouted, and after uncoupling the minigun from the belt, she threw it down after a brief glow of her body.

The weapon reached a great speed and rammed into the snowdrift.

"I have to cool it down or the barrels will melt! Cover me!"

"Okay, Elsa!"

As she dove to the ground, everyone opened fire from their weapons, shielding the retreat of their comrade. The drones tried to retaliate, shooting their week beams chaotically, but they were suppressed and annihilated like their stronger ilk. Ellie took Aina's revolver, and using her Overcaliber Final Art, she fired six rounds, roughly 111 millimeters in caliber, shattering exactly six clusters.

"I didn't know this gun was so powerful…" Aina mumbled in awe.

"That's just me, Sweetie," Ellie smiled and gave her back her revolver.

"Methinks we have to engage," Toshiro said quietly to his two companions.

"Would be nice," Aya said.

"Proposals?" Alissa asked.

"There's a technique I would like you to sync with Aya, Kye."

"Oh really? Hmm… This will be interesting. Done."

"Huh, what?" Aya asked. "Did I just learn something?" she asked confused.

"Yup," Alissa smiled.

"If any of you has an idea, let it rip, because that big fucker has it's cannon aimed towards the city!" Angela reported with terror in her voice.

"Come on!" Toshiro commanded, elevating to the Celestial Aura, and preparing his Celestial Order magic.

"Here goes nothing!" Aya shouted and did the same.

"Why not…" Alissa smirked, and after the rainbow-like aura surrounded her, the three appeared almost instantly, at least to the bystanders, in three points around the enormous Neuroi.

"What now?" Aya asked.

"Raise your sword!" Toshiro shouted and raised Oblivion Lost.

"Okay!" Aya said and raised Hikarimaru, seeing as Alissa raised Jouten. "Oh, it came to me!"

"So you know what to do…" Toshiro grinned mischievously, and in sync, the three shouted, "MUGEN RONDO!" and they disappeared.

To observe what they were doing, one would have to dilute time at least fifty thousand times. Each of them cut the Neuroi's hull deeply, and after finishing through, a copy of their weapon appeared and the one they wielded disappeared. Grabbing the copy, they gained a temporal _slow-phasing_ ability, allowing them to skip to another copy that they would place in some place on the opposite side of the enemy, however with the possibility of dealing damage along way.

For a bystander, it just looked like thousands of swords appeared suddenly around the Neuroi, partially obscuring the view, as it was carved through like a bar of soap, stripped methodically of its _paint_ , and layer by layer thinning out, until only the core remained.

The three crossed their swords, did a backhand swing each, and shouted, "ZEN REPPUZAN!" sending the three conjoined attacks towards the core. The red polygonal crystal exploded into nothingness, marking the end of the battle.

Toshiro raised his hand in a manner visible to everyone. He waited a few seconds and asked Aya, "Do you hear it?"

"What?"

"The silence after a battle. We did it, Aya."

Aya couldn't contain herself, so she simply flew over to him and hugged him.

"That was so aweeeeesoooome! Grandpa, did you learn all those new techniques during your training with Livy?!" Aya asked energetically.

"Yeah. Took me some time, but with my mortal power, it's probably impossible to go any further without a Legendary Awakening. And I didn't want to experiment with it, no time to recover from comas."

"I suppose you're right, Grandpa."

"Um, can I say something?" Angela said through comms.

"Of course you can," Alissa replied.

"I see a flare down on the snow, should we investigate that?" she asked.

Alissa looked around and saw a flare moving itself in a small arc in the air, from, left to right.

"That must be the place where the experiment was controlled from. Toshiro, should we?"

"I'll go there. Ellie, you too, you're the commander of this outfit after all," Toshiro said.

"Coming, Toshiro," Ellie said. "Everyone, good job. Stand by for now."

"Roger!" almost everyone cheered, except for Elsa.

"Damn it…" she muttered as she was shoveling snow over her still hot gun with her bare hands.

Ellie and Toshiro flew over to the place where the flare was, and they saw a young man in a lab coat, holding said flare.

"You're professor Isshiki I guess?" Ellie asked while hovering above him.

"Yes ma'am! I'm the one who called you! Could you please land and turn off the engines?"

"I don't see a suitable space," Ellie answered, but then Toshiro blasted a small landing strip in the snow with a Wärmestrahl. "Convenient…"

Both of them landed, but because they didn't bring their shoes, Toshiro said, "Come on, Ellie, I can carry you on my back."

"You sure?" she asked a bit flustered.

"Yeah, I can handle both your sweat weight and the cold under my feet," he smiled warmly.

"Okay," she replied confidently and jumped straight out of her Striker straight onto his back."

"Oh crud, I forgot about shoes for you!" Isshiki grabbed his head.

"We'll manage for now, lead the way," Toshiro said coldly.

The scientists started sweating and he turned around, leading them silently into the inside of the bunker. Two guards with flashlights looked at them carefully, but they saluted as fast as humanly possible once they recognized who they have before them. Isshiki dumped the flare in a bucket of ice-cold water, and put a headlamp on his head, turning it on at the same time.

A soldier well over his optimal weight crawled out of the gatehouse, which was at the side of the enormous door leading further into the complex.

" _Zdrastvuj._ Who should I put down on the list?" he asked.

" _Podpolkovnik_ Eleanor Horbaczewski and _Bundesmarschal_ Toshiro von Edelweiss," Toshiro said with a roguish smile.

"Yeah, and I'm _Ded Moroz_ (Santa Claus). I know we're having some guests, but I don't have the details."

"Uuuuugh…" Ellie sighed and pulled out a red booklet out of her jacket. "Will this be enough?"

With shivering hands, the guard took the booklet and opened it on the first page. He snapped into attention and shouted, "I'm terribly sorry for my behavior! Welcome, dear guests!"

"At ease, at ease," Ellie waved him down with a smirk of satisfaction.

"Ivan, will you stand there all day?" Isshiki asked. "Give our guests some flip flops."

"O-Of course!" he turned around and ran two steps, but the turned around, ran back, and gave back the booklet to Ellie. "Forgive me once more!" he pled and ran to the gatehouse.

"I guess the Membership ID of a member of the CPSU still works better than spoken word…" Ellie sighed.

"Hey, at least you could use it in good intention for once," Toshiro chuckled.

"Well no shit, Sherlock…" Ellie mumbled.

Ivan ran back with a two pair of cheap rubber flip-flops, which flooded the market places in every city of the USSR.

"Lay them down on the floor," Ellie said.

"Yes ma'am!"

After the flip-flops were laid down, Ellie jumped down from Toshiro's back, straight onto the footwear.

"Thanks for the ride, Toshiro."

"No prob," he said and put on his pair. "Oh, comfy."

"Please, follow me," Isshiki said. "Ivan?"

"Yes, I'm opening the door."

After a few clicks on his control panel, the door started opening with a screeching sound.

"I thought you had your power cut?" Ellie asked.

"We're running a powerful backup generator for the very inside of the complex, and for this very door," Isshiki explained.

The door only opened for a width of one and a half meters, enough for them to pass. Once the three of them entered, the door started closing. Once it closed, Toshiro asked, "I guess you get some witch guests, hence the peculiar footwear in the guardhouse?"

"Ah, yes, er... Sir?"

"What is it?" Toshiro asked.

"I had class with your father-in-law…" Isshiki blushed.

"You did? Hah! Wait a second… Isshiki, right? He told me once that you're quite bright. But for you to work for commies?" Toshiro stroked his left index finger with his right in a "shame on you" gesture.

"I know…" Isshiki sighed. "But this is something… well; you saw what it is, sir."

"What it was, for now. If I don't receive answers, I might raze this whole facility."

"You will get your answers, sir. Professor Sakharov is waiting for you."

" _The_ Sakharov?" Toshiro asked surprised.

"Yes, sir, Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov himself," Isshiki said proudly.

"The nuke guy?" Ellie asked.

"Heh, yes, the nuke guy," Toshiro smiled. "Okay Bub, lead the way."

They traversed a wide corridor made of reinforced concrete under a small slope. After that, they saw the first, red lights on the walls. After another few dozens of meters of corridors, they went up some stairs, and finally they entered a big control room, from which the light of day could be seen. It was filled with a few scientists, from which the most prominent was an old man with the rest of his white hair on his head, and enormous glasses on his nose, and of course clad in a white lab coat.

"Ah, I see that we have our guest here," the old man said. " _Comrade…_ " he spat on the floor. "Andropov told me you would be coming and that we owe the power outage to you. And of course repelling the Neuroi threat."

"I did what was expected of me, just like you, Professor Sakharov."

"I see that you're rather sour about _Proyekt Avrora_ , Professor von Edelweiss…"

"Oh, please, my scientific career is on the nail right now," Toshiro interrupted.

"Yes, but your Nobel Prize isn't something to dispute," Sakharov said firmly. "We both have one, so why not be civilized among colleagues?"

"Well, whatever now," Toshiro muttered and gave his hand forward.

"Thank you," Sakharov smiled and shook his hand. "I can wage all my wealth that you want answers?"

"It would be nice to know why you opened a box of worms near a big city…" Toshiro tried not to make a scene.

"Please, let's come closer to the window," Sakharov pointed out to the narrow slit of reinforced glass.

Once the three of them approached, Sakharov pointed the three round generators standing in the field.

"Those three generators are quantum entanglement devices, needed to produce a wormhole. Through sheer luck, we managed to get a bead on the location of what we think is the Neuroi home world, thus the whole project. I actually joined halfway, since the previous overseer got ill. The fact is that Professor Isshiki here is the mind of the project," he looked at the Fusojin, who bowed his head slightly in turn. "But I guess everything is better than being on house arrest in an apartment in Gorky… Anyway, we were told to make this whole thing so that a missile could be shot inside, carrying photographic apparatus, to do reconnaissance. And from what we saw, it worked, and the cache with the film is lying somewhere in the snow outside, after a brief journey on a parachute."

 ** _"_** ** _Livy, tell Kari to tell Aya to find that cache."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Of course, Master."_**

"So you weren't told anything else?" Toshiro asked distrustfully. "Absolutely nothing."

"We were told nothing, but we have our eyes open, and brains still working. Just reconnaissance? I'm old, but not senile."

"Andropov didn't tell you about the involvement of Liberians?" Toshiro asked.

"No…" Sakharov replied with a raised eyebrow. "The cowboys are involved? Ha! Misha, you win the bet!" he shouted to one of the scientists.

"Thanks!" the scientist shouted back cheerfully.

"Do you by any chance know more, Professor?" Sakharov asked.

"No, Professor, that's all I know. And is that all _you_ know?"

"Unfortunately yes," he sighed and turned to Ellie. "I'm deeply sorry that I had to involve your unit, Miss."

"Let's look at it this way – we weren't bored today," Ellie said with a small smile under her nose. "And nobody was hurt. But please, if you want to experiment with those steel balls of yours, do notify us beforehand."

"I will do what I can," Sakharov replied.

Suddenly, Aya appeared in the window and pointed out a big container in her hands.

"How…" Sakharov looked at Toshiro.

"Magic," he winked. "Tell the guards to receive that from Aya."

Sakharov looked at Isshiki, and he immediately grabbed the receiver on the wall and said, "Guards, go out of the bunker and take the package from the witch that came. This is vital a mission objective."

Toshiro looked at Aya, and pointed out towards the exit. Aya gave him an "A-Okay" and flew off.

"My granddaughter," Toshiro said proudly.

"Hmmm… A beautiful girl. I think we have no more topics to discuss right now?" the old man asked.

"No, I guess not. I think I won't do anything about all of this right now. Work on that emergency shutdown of yours."

"We have no emergency shutdown…" Isshiki muttered.

"Uuuuugh…" Toshiro moaned. "Okay, I guess we'll show ourselves to the exit."

"I'll take you back," Isshiki said.

"Goodbye, Professor Sakharov," Toshiro said. "I hope I won't have any reasons to be mad at you."

"Time will tell, Professor von Edelweiss," he smiled.

"Goodbye," Ellie said.

At the way back, they saw the two guards carrying the container. They passed them and continued to the door. After it was opened, the guard ran out of his place."

"You are leaving, Sir, Ma'am?" he asked.

"Yes, we're leaving," Toshiro said. "Ellie, back on my back."

"Kay," she said while jumping on his back, at the same time dropping her flip-flops.

Toshiro simple stepped out of his, and went towards the door.

"I think I'll tell Ichiro about this," Toshiro said as he stopped.

"Uhm… I don't know whether I should be afraid or happy…" Isshiki mumbled.

"We'll see after the outcome of this," Toshiro smirked and went outside.

"Grandpa, and?" Aya asked immediately from the air.

"They were just doing what they were told, and they don't know anything beside what they were working on here."

"Daaaaaaawww… So _nihil novi_ (nothing new) _…_ " Aya sighed. "Come on; let's go back, Kola is probably worrying his bum off!"

"More like freezing," Ellie said.

"Huh? Why?" Aya tilted her head.

"I sent him out to hide in the forest in case this would be some kind of ruse to lure us all out so the KGB would nab him."

"Oooooooh… Do you think they would do something like that?"

"Very improbable, since they probably trust Tanya too much, but there's still a chance," Ellie explained. "But yes, let's hurry back," she said, and fired up her transponder. "Kola?"

After a few seconds, he heard his voice, "Uh, yeah? Is this on?"

"Yes, I can hear you. This is Ellie, if you haven't recognized me yet. Stay put for now, and don't move a muscle, okay? But don't worry, you're not in danger."

"Okay, Ellie. Kola out."

"What was that about?" Aya asked.

"You'll see."

After mounting their Strikers, Toshiro and Ellie, joined by Aya, joined the rest, and went on a journey back to their base.

* * *

 **Sternzerleger (lit. Star Dismantler) - a Celestial Order empowered Atomzerleger, a melee technique that obliterates the hit enemy on a quantum state level, literally erasing it from existence. Also, it works on living organisms with the same efficiency, contrary to the Atomzerleger**

 **Mugen Rondo (lit. Infinite Rondo) - the evolution of the Hachiken (Eight Sword) Rondo, a technique that Toshiro possesed back in 1944 already.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	46. Chapter 46 - To a fallen comrade

Chapter 46 – To a fallen comrade

* * *

A few minutes later, the whole bunch was approaching the base.

"Hey, I have a game for you all," Ellie said and looked around. "Well, Aya, Toshiro, and Alissa can't participate."

"Oh, a game?" Marie asked. "I like playing games."

"The game is simple – from our current altitude, from a position I will designate, and without using your magic abilities, you are to find Kola."

"Huh? Is he lost?" Sieglinde asked.

"No, but he's hiding as I ordered him too. The first one to spot him gets a beer and a bar of dark chocolate."

"And if somebody doesn't like beer?" Tatiana asked.

"Then two chocolates," Ellie replied warmly. "Okay, we're approaching the position, get ready…" After a few hundred meters, Ellie said, "Stop! Game on!"

The girls started looking around all over the perimeter of the base from their positions and some even looked outside.

"Ellie, why did you exclude me?" Aya asked with a sour face.

"Because your magic doesn't manifest, just as in the case of Toshiro," she explained calmly.

"Oh you can let her, I'll be watching if she doesn't use magic," Toshiro said. "I promise to be impartial on this one."

"Ah, if you say so… Okay, but you do it from this spot."

"Kay!" Aya cheered and started gawking at the ground.

"And why me?" Alissa asked innocently. "I wanted to play too…"

"You're not a part of my unit, Alissa, and who know what you have up your sleeves. And seriously, you want to play such trivial games at your age?"

"Heheheh… You have a point there. Granny Alissa will let the young'uns play," she giggled.

"Shame I can't compete, cuz I see him from a mile," Toshiro said looking in the air.

Everyone heard him clearly, so the heads of the girls started moving like out of control turnstiles.

"Oh… I think…" Marie squinted her eyes. "I think I see him."

Everyone looked at Marie instantly, and Ellie flew up to her asking, "Show us."

Marie pointed out to the forest and said, "There, west to the main building, facing the entrance directly, near a pine split in half by… lightning I think."

"Oh, I see him too!" Elizabeth said.

"And me!" Sieglinde joined.

"And me…" Aya mumbled with a pouty face.

"My, what eyesight! How did you spot him?" Ellie asked.

"I saw a small cloud of mist appearing out of nowhere, ma'am."

Half of the girls exhaled deeply, forming such clouds and nodding to themselves.

"Well then… Kola, did you hear that?" Ellie asked aloud.

"You're having fun and games while I freeze away here…" he sighed in everyone's transponder. "Can I finally move?"

"Yes, you can return back inside," Ellie commanded.

His emergence was now visible to all of them, as he took of his lent ghillie suit.

"So, what will it be, Marie?" Ellie asked.

"Two chocolates please," she answered politely.

"Are you sure you'll stomach that down?"

"No, that's why I'll share with everyone who feels sad about losing to me," she smiled brightly.

"Oh what a good girl," Ellie patted her on the shoulder. "Good, let's land."

The whole unit landed in the hangar, and Elsa immediately started tinkering with her gun.

"Oh, I hope it's okay?" Katie asked. "Did it fall safely?"

"Yes, thanks for an accurate reading of the snowdrift height. But I'm more concerned about the rapid temperature change and the water condensing on the metal…" Elsa frowned.

"Hey, don't worry; we've got a whole industry size can of WD-40!" Katie patted her on the back. "Add some grease to that, and your Neuroi ripper will be in top shape!"

"Oh right! Thanks for the tip!" Elsa ran off to rummage the supplies.

"That gun is her pride," Sieglinde said from Katie's side. "She herself added an _overdrive_ firing mode."

"How fast was that by the way? Never saw a gun firing so fast, aside when using Ellie's inherent magic."

"Ten thousand rounds per minute, the fastest firing gun on earth," Sieglinde said proudly. "But Elsa had to sign a few releases to be able to toy with it."

"Well, no wonder, that's probably so expensive that I would have to work a few years to buy one."

"Indeed," Sieglinde smiled.

Elsa returned with the enormous can of the water repellant, and started spraying it in every nook and cranny of the M61. After that, she set the ROF switch to 1k and gave it a dry spin.

"Yay!" she cheered as the barrels stopped spinning.

"Everyone, have your rest," Ellie said suddenly. "You don't have to train today, just be sure to send somebody to the kitchen to make dinner and supper," she snickered. "Oh, and I will do the paperwork on my own today, so at ease, and have a good day!"

"Roger!" the girls cheered.

"Are you sure you'll do all the reports by your own?" Katie asked.

"Are you willing to help?"

"Bleh, no…" Katie shuddered.

"Really, there's no problem in that, since I was on scene with all of you."

"I can't wait to tell Kola about everything!" Aya jumped around in the meanwhile. "He'll wish he could be there, at least as an observer!"

"Take a bath first," Toshiro said. "With the rest," he added quickly.

"Oh, that's a good idea," Alissa said, "Hey, ladies, how about a bath? Don't you want to stretch your legs in some warm water after a battle in the cold?"

"Hell yeah!" Elwyn shouted.

All of the girls nodded, so Alissa said, "Then it's decided. Toshiro, you can brag on to Kola about your feats while we're at it."

"Oh don't worry; Aya will include enough of me in her own rendition, right?" he looked at Aya.

"Of course, Grandpa!" the raven-haired Karlslander cheered. "I'll tell Kola everything!"

"After the bath," Ellie said. "Come on, everyone; let's go to our warm home away from home."

 **Commander's office**

Kola sat deep in the usual armchair and waited for Ellie to come. With the rifle on his lap, and the ghillie suit under it, he looked like a sniper taking a tea break. His patience wasn't strained too much, as Ellie appeared in the room only a minute after he took his seat.

"Oh, hello, Kola. I hope you didn't get too cold?" Ellie asked sympathetically.

"Not too much, and that's very interesting. However, Bianca told me that now, that she's not concealing my magic power, my inherent body strengthening capabilities have started working, and I've gained some protection from the elements. And I feel a lot stronger to be honest."

"That's correct," Ellie smiled. "That's how it works for witches and wizards once their magic powers start manifesting. Well, I'm glad you're okay, and that nothing happened."

"I did get my right eye a bit sun blinded…" Kola muttered.

"How come only one eye… Oh wait… Did you perhaps…?"

"Yes," Kola interrupted. "I accidentally turned the night vision mode on. I can still see the crosshair of the scope when I close my eye…" he mumbled. "One central chevron and three vertical lines at eave spacing at each side. Then a bit lower, a longer vertical line under the chevron, and two smaller lines under the central line on each side of the chevron, and a '4' on the left side of the left line. Slightly under the central line, an even longer vertical line…"

"Does your eye hurt, Kola?"

"No, not exactly."

"Get Aya to apply her healing magic just in case, okay?" Ellie asked.

"Okay, I'll do it. By the way, what do those markings mean?"

"All the lines can be used to estimate the distance, but that's something advanced, so I won't go into details. The chevron is used to shoot at a distance of 400 meters. The space between it and the line below is 600 meters, the line itself 800 meters; the next space 1000 meters, the last line is 1100 meters, and the space directly below the last line 1200 meters. But I doubt you would hit anything smaller than a barn from that distance."

"Yeah, I know, I lack the skill," Kola rolled his eyes clockwise.

"Good to know that you know that you know," Ellie giggled. "Okay, grab yourself a beer, maybe two, because Toshiro could join you, and relax. I'm going bathing now."

"Have f… Oh, wait a second. Who's "G?"" he pointed at the marks on the stock of the SVD.

Ellie frowned immediately and started slowly rubbing her left forearm with her right hand while looking to the side.

"Let me bathe first, okay?" she asked with a sad voice. "I want to be relaxed before I tell you this…"

"You don't have to; really, I understand that it's something from the past you don't want to talk about."

"No, I have to tell it to somebody. Just give me a few minutes, okay?"

"Take all the time you need, Ellie. I'll be waiting here, drinking a beer, okay?" he asked softly.

"Okay," Ellie cracked a small smile and slowly walked out of the room.

 _"_ _Aaaaaaawwwkwwwwaaaaard…"_

Kola waited a few long seconds, and he wandered out of the room himself, seeing Ellie disappearing into her room. He walked down the corridor, and just as he passed the door to the girls bedroom, he heard it opening behind him.

"Kola!" Aya called and hugged him from behind. "Everything okay? No frostbite?"

"Yes and no. Well, I got a referral from Doctor Horbaczewski…" Kola laughed slightly.

Aya immediately ran up in front of him, holding her bath supplies, and looking at him from every angle, and concerned as always, she asked, "What's the matter?"

"I see an afterimage of a night vision scope in my right eye I accidentally fired up half an hour ago…"

"Does it hurt? No blurring?" Aya started getting visibly nervous.

"I'm fine, but Ellie was also concerned, so she sent me to you."

"What a good woman she is…" Aya sighed in relief. "Come on, I'll apply some of my healing magic just as a precaution. Bend over."

"Yeah Kola, bend over," Sieglinde mocked her with a deep voice from the doorway.

"How about I bend you over?" he asked. "I bet you would want a big guy like me to ram my dick against the back of you uterus, would you?"

"Uh… Well…" Sieglinde blushed suddenly. "Not that I wouldn't… Actually…" she started fidgeting.

"Sigi! Calm down!" Aya shouted. "Kola is mine," she puffed her cheeks.

"Ugh, oh…" Sieglinde snapped out of her sorry state. "Err… I'll be going now!" she ran off towards the bath.

"Geez, Ayaya…" Nami said looking at Sieglinde who almost made a dust cloud after her. "You sure are possessive."

"Kola is the first man I loved in my life… Even if it's Sigi, I don't want to…" Aya mumbled.

Nami raised her hand and said, "Say no more," and she went off after Sieglinde.

"Ayaaa…" Kola sighed. "Be a bit flexible. And I was joking. Read my lips: J-O-K-I-N-G."

"I knooooooow…" Aya moaned. "But… You know what? I'll ask Grandpa about his sexual life with Grandma, all of it! Maybe if I get into the mind of the biggest perv in our family, I'll become a better lover and life partner!" she said with confidence almost spilling on the floor from her mouth.

Angela and Elsa clapped their hands, and the former said, "Great speech, Aya, although I think you'd rather say it a bit quieter."

Aya blushed wildly, to which Elsa said, "Come on, Angela, we don't need to embarrass Aya more than she did it herself, heehee…"

As the two left, Kola said, "Heal me already, Aya, or you'll embarrass yourself even further."

"Y-Yes, immediately!" Aya shouted and her right hand started glowing green. "Okay, squat."

Kola squatted in place, and Aya placed her hand over his right eye. He felt a pleasant warmth, and after a few seconds, when the glowing stopped, Aya asked, "How about now?"

He closed his eye, and to his surprise, the afterimage was gone.

"Fine and dandy. Thanks, Aya. Now I'll go help myself a beer."

"Oh, Grandpa is doing the same, so you might bump into each other."

"I won't mind if I do," he smiled. "You scrub yourself thoroughly, missy!"

"Oh, seeing some action with Kola today, Aya?" Giulietta popped out of nowhere.

"Yeah, why not," Aya shrugged indifferently, but she shot a covert wink to Giulietta, to which she smiled mysteriously and walked away.

"You're pulling it through after all?" Kola asked.

"If it's to relieve unnecessary tension in the unit, then why not? And besides, nothing bad can happen, can it? The two of us humping together is more risky."

"A tip from me – her period starts the first," Alissa said from behind Aya.

"Alisssaaaaa!" Aya roared and started shaking her fist madly, making Alissa run away cackling. "Uuuuugh, I'll be going…" Aya mumbled.

Kola gave her a quick pat on the head and said, "Have fun," and he went his way.

"Ah, Kola! Have a beer!" was the first thing he heard once he entered the dining hall.

Toshiro was sitting before the TV with an opened beer bottle and several others not yet opened at his feet.

"You sure made yourself at home, Toshiro," Kola snickered. "But hey, Ellie gave us both permission to have one, so I guess having more than one won't be too much of insubordination."

"Aye!" Toshiro raised his bottle.

"But do you want to watch TV, or maybe we should move to the quiet and comfortable office of Ellie?"

"Yeaaah… She has more comfortable chairs there…" Toshiro pondered. "Okay, we're changing places!" he shouted and turned off the tube.

After taking the beers, they both moved to Ellie's office, where Kola took the armchair, and Toshiro _commandeered_ Ellie's chair.

"Yup, this place has a better atmosphere," Toshiro stated, nodding his head slightly. "You could even say it's intimate… Good old commanders' offices…" he sighed melancholically. "I kind of miss sitting in one, doing some paperwork… On the other hand, I don't want to have responsibility for a unit. I'm too old for shenanigans of prepubescent and pubescent girls. Seeing such beautiful girls like in the 777th makes my libido go full swing…"

"I won't lie, the girls sure are cute. Even Sieglinde has some kind of magnetism in her; although she has muscles that some men don't bother do develop. But her boobs overweigh the muscles…"

"Hah, true! She'll be a good catch for somebody with similar interest," Toshiro laughed. "But I hope you're not attracted by that magnetism, are you?"

"Uuhhh… Well, Aya is giving her best in bed so I won't have to even look at other girls…" Kola mumbled. "But she on the other hand… Oh shit, I probably shouldn't have…"

"Kola, do you think I'm blind and deaf? You know what's happening in that bedroom after lights out? You can almost hear the grinding of two sweaty female bodies, and definitely hear the passionate muffled grunts their giving off!"

"Shit, seriously? And how many?" Kola asked with wide opened eyes.

"Nami, Sieglinde, and Giulietta seem not to give a fuck about fucking around. I saw Elwyn have a go, and Aya too."

"She wants to do the Romagnan today…" Kola muttered sorrowfully.

"Aya? Shit… Did she at least offer you some… compensation?"

"I thought she would puff her cheeks to the point of exploding when I said it," Kola smiled. "She doesn't want to give me a go at any of the girls."

"How selfish… I really do have to talk with her about that," Toshiro said with a straight face.

"What, you did some shit in your teen days?"

"Duuuuuuuuuuudeeeeee… I had threesomes, foursomes, fivesomes, and even sixsomes, all with Yoshika participating! I banged my boss in the Wehrmacht solo; also Elwyn's, Angela's and Shinobu's grandmothers. And some… Hmm… Otherworldly encounters, heheh…" Toshiro smiled proudly. "And Yoshika had her solo encounters too, enabling me to have mine. Don't worry, Kola, I'll try to talk Aya through."

"It's not that I HAVE to bang another girl just to be… compensated. Well, Aya thinks that she signed off that by teaching me how to shoot," Kola said calmly. "But I do have an _itch_ of curiosity…"

"I see what you did there," Toshiro grinned and looked at the sniper rifle. "Nice gun, is that Ellie's?"

"Yeah. There are some kind of markings on the stock, and when I asked Ellie about it, she frowned heavily. I think I struck the wrong chord, since that's supposedly recovered from Warsaw…"

"I see…"

"She told me she'll explain, but after taking a bath."

"I want to be there," Toshiro said calmly. "I have some experience with solving problems."

"I guess you do. Let's just wait." Kola said and opened a beer. " _Na zdorov'ye_!"

" _Prost_! _"_ Toshiro raised his bottle and they both started drinking.

 **Bath**

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh…" Ellie sighed in bliss as she received a foot rub from Aya. "Thank you, I needed that."

"Really, no problem, Ellie. I hope I'm not tickling you?" Aya asked.

"No, no, you're not. It's nice…"

"I'm jealous…" Sieglinde mumbled.

"Hey, Sigi, I'll give you a massage after I finish with Elsa, kay?" Nami asked while kneading the mentioned Karlslander.

"If that's another one of those that you gave me back then, I'll pass," Sieglinde answered sternly.

"No, of course not. That was just me playing you a prank. I promise a quality service!" Nami said proudly.

"Don't stooooop…" Elsa moaned.

"Kay, kay." Nami smiled and resumed.

"Well okay, I'll bite," Sieglinde said and relaxed a bit.

Elizabeth placed her hand on Marie's shoulder and said, "Good job finding Kola, even I didn't notice him, and I'm supposedly the crackshot here."

"Oh, thanks," Marie smiled. "I suppose I was at the right angle… Or maybe I looked at the right spot at the right time?"

"Luck or not, you've won," Katie said. "Hey, everyone see how I _enhanced_ that volley of Elsa?"

"Of course we did," Angela said. "Fireworks like on New Year's Eve."

Giulietta was slowly skulking from Alissa's side, and just as she was in hands reach, Alissa's right hand shot towards her prized possessions and the hunter became the pray.

"Waaaaaaaagh!" Giulietta shouted and ran behind Elwyn. "Ch-Ch-Cheater!"

"Says Boob Devil the Third," Alissa shrugged and presented her chest. "If you want to have a grab at these, you'd have to nail me down to the floor first. And in this whole wide world, only two people can even try to do so."

"And I guess both don't have interest in them…" Giulietta mumbled.

"Aya, want a complimentary grab?" Alissa asked with a straight face.

"I'm busy now, Alissa. But thank you for the proposition anyway. Is that complimentary service transferable?"

"Sorry, only valid for Aya von Edelweiss, expired a second ago," Alissa smirked while looking at Giulietta. "Tough luck, Bubette"

"Dung… But how about…" her hands slowly crawled up Elwyn's sides. "Can I console myself in your marvelous bosom, Elwyn?"

"If you have to, you have to… Just don't rip them off!"

"Kay!" Giulietta cheered and indulged herself in her favorite past time.

"Hedonism 101…" Ellie sighed. "But a job well done needs appropriate compensation. Actually, if anyone wants a beer, go grab one. ONE being an absolute value."

"Oh, thanks, ma'am," Sieglinde said. "I'll partake upon that offer."

"Me too," Angela said.

"Me three!" Nami cheered.

"Heh, count me in," Shinobu snickered.

"And me!" Elsa grinned briefly.

"Why not…" Aya said.

"Might as well join in," Katie said.

"I always wanted to taste beer…" Giulietta pondered.

"You have never drank beer before?" Elwyn asked. "I did. And I think I will now."

"Oh, then I'll see what this whole beer is about," Giulietta smiled.

"Did you finish already?" Elwyn asked.

"Oh, no, no!" Giulietta resumed her _breaststroke_ quickly.

"I just pray half of the unit won't be hammered after this…" Ellie muttered.

 **Commander's office**

"And then, Ellie and Katie landed," Kola aid and laid down the empty beer bottle on the ground. "That's more or less my story, Toshiro."

"Life sure gave you a lot of lemons, but it forgot to give you the necessities to make the lemonade," Toshiro smiled. "Don't worry, Bro, you're under the protection of my family now. We will all ensure that you can develop yourself properly, at least intellectually, because your body doesn't need work, heh. And hey, who knows, maybe you'll win a Nobel Prize too? Hahaha!"

"That would be hilarious," Kola also smiled. "Seriously now, Toshiro, you have my utter gratitude for everything you have done until now."

"Remember we're not out of the woods yet, Kola. I can't guarantee that the KGB won't have a hard on for killing you, or Tatiana for that matter, and… heh… I don't know if my daughter and son-in-law will accept you," Toshiro winked.

"Right, right. I have to stay vigilant."

The door opened, and Ellie came in in her usual uniform, but with her hair wrapped in a towel. She looked around the room and said, "I see you're having a nice party, boys. Mind if I join in?"

"There are still two beers in the snow outside the window," Toshiro answered.

"Get me both of them, please. My hair is still wet."

"Kay."

Toshiro opened the window, quickly fetched the two bottles, and put them on Ellie's desk.

"I warmed up the chair for you," Toshiro said and sat on a chair besides Kola.

"I suppose Kola told you?" Ellie asked indifferently.

"Yeah, he did. Come on, Ellie, if you have something lying on your proverbial liver, spit it out," Toshiro said softly.

"Okay, but first I have to apply anesthesia to myself…" Ellie said, and she quickly chugged down the two beers one after another. "Hmm… Yeeees… So, I guess I can start now, right?"

"The floor is yours, Ellie," Kola said.

Ellie dropped on her chair, and started her story.

"Shortly after everything _stabilized,_ and I was assigned to the 771st in Orussia, I petitioned for a secret, single man mission. My target was to sneak into Warsaw and see that was left of my previous life. The fact that I had my red booklet and that my name was on a list or two in Lubyanka helped me push the mission through the rusty military bureaucratic machine. At the time, Katie was on some supplementary training, so I didn't have to explain myself before her. Exactly one year ago, I flew into Warsaw during the night, miraculously avoiding detection by the Neuroi forces. First, I went to my apartment. It was still standing, so I took what I could. Then I went to my old base. It was razed to the ground, nothing of value was salvageable. Looking around the city, even the mighty Palace of Culture and Science was a piece of snow covered rubble…"

Ellie took a deep breath and continued.

"Returning, the moon peered out slightly from behind the clouds, so I had to hide preemptively. I hid under an oak covered in snow, and then, a small glint showed up in my sight. I looked up, and saw that very rifle, hanging down from a branch. Well, I thought it was a branch, but then I pulled it, something big fell on me with a whole lot of snow… When I crawled out from under it, I almost fell dead from shock. The thing was a body, in a uniform of the Lehistan Air Force. A witches uniform…"

Ellie paused for a few seconds.

"With shaking hands, I turned the head of the body, and I literally puked when I saw the face. It was my friend since kindergarten, Grażyna Maliniak. I almost literally grew up with her. My mom and her mom were best friends, and so were we…"

Tears started slowly flowing from Ellie's eyes.

"When the moon hid behind the clouds again, I rummaged the snow around the tree. I found her Striker, one Leg cut in half, one severely damaged from a fire."

Ellie rummaged the desk, and she pulled out a small piece of metal, charred on two edges.

"This is from the fuselage of that Striker. After I started thinking clearly, I took her body and flew with it back to my unit. Can you imagine it? I flew with the cold dead body of my best friend… But the worst thing was to come. It appeared that the training ended earlier, and Katie was there waiting for me already. She looked like she wanted to rip my head off, but when she saw what I was carrying; she simply fell on her knees and started crying. Both Grażyna's and Katie's characters were a perfect match, and ever since the two met, they were like two sisters, so that made us some kind of weird trio. The next day, Grażyna's body was cremated, and the urn with her ashes is still waiting to be buried in Lehistan soil…"

"G stands for Grażyna…" Kola said quietly. "I see… Sorry for asking, Ellie… I really didn't want to make you cry."

"I told you it was okay…" Ellie sobbed. "I had to tell it to somebody else…"

The door opened suddenly, and Tatiana ran up to Ellie, jumped on her lap, and hugged her saying, "Don't cry, Mommy… You have new friends right now… And you have me…"

When Tatiana looked up at Ellie with a pure and innocent face, Elllie simply let go and started wailing, hugging her soon-to-be daughter tightly. Tatiana looked at Toshiro with a confused face and she quietly asked, "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, Tatiana. Just let her cry out, okay?"

Tatiana smiled warmly, nodded, and rested her head on Ellie's shoulder.

"Did I hear it right?" Kola asked. "She called Ellie "Mommy"?"

"The cats out of the bag, but still, it would be better if you wouldn't repeat this. You see, Ellie wants to adopt Tatiana."

Kola pondered visibly for some good seconds, and he said, "Okay, I think. Nothing wrong in that I guess."

 **Moments earlier**

 **Dining hall**

Katie brought all the girls who wanted a beer their beers, but the rest also came for some juice. Like in a parlor trick, the Leh pulled out two bars of chocolate from seemingly thin air before Marie's nose, to which the latter gasped amazed and clapped her hands.

"Oh, but it's frozen solid now. I have to warm it up first," Marie said.

"Are you sure?" Katie smirked.

"Mhm," Marie nodded.

Katie glowed orange for a few seconds and she said, "Here, barely lukewarm."

Marie took the chocolate bars carefully and gasped, "Wow… Thanks, Katie! Who wants chocolate!"

Surprisingly, all of the witches declined.

"Huh? What's the matter?" Marie asked. "Don't you like chocolate after all?"

"We're drinking orange juice," Tatiana said. "Dark chocolate would mess the taste of both."

"And slightly bitter beer plus even more bitter chocolate would also fuck up stuff," Sieglinde said with a straight face. "But don't worry; we'll take a bit, if you want so badly, just later."

"Of course I want; I promised that I'll give you some…" Marie pouted.

Tatiana glowed briefly, said, "Um, excuse me for a second," and slowly walked out of the room.

"What's with her?" Giulietta asked.

"I think I know, but that's a secret between two night witches," Aina winked.

"Well, whatever," Giulietta said and snapped the beer cap off the bottle. "Down the hatch I guess?"

"Or in sips," Aya said.

"I'll take a sip first…" Giulietta said, and so she did. "A bit bitter for my taster… But whatever, _cincin_!" she cheered and downed the whole bottle in one go.

"Not bad," Sieglinde nodded in admiration.

Giulietta left the bottle on the table with a fuzzy look, and she mused, "Aaaamaaaziing tiiiiits!" and grabbed Elwyn's rack.

"Hey, you had enough for today!" she shooed her off.

"Hooow sweeeet theeee booobs!" she pounced towards Elizabeth.

"Hey, get off of Lily!" Katie shouted.

"Thaaaaat saaaaav'd aaaa wreeeeetch liiiiikeeee meeeee!" Giulietta now grabbed Katie herself.

"Oh why I oughta!" Katie took a swing with her right hand, but Giulietta dodged it and latched onto Nami while singing, "Theeee booooobs I looooooost..."

"Woah, Giuli, calm down! Shoo!" Nami protested, diverting her to Shinobu, who was surprisingly caught off guard while the Romagnan sung, "…buut noow haaaaaveeee fouuuund!"

"Woah woah woah! I'm straight, damn you!" Shinobu shoved her off, right in the direction of Alissa.

"Bring it on!" Alissa shouted.

"Waaaas bliiiiind, buuuuut…" Giulietta moved slowly towards Alissa. "nooooow… I'll… feeeeelll…"

And just before reaching her destination, she started falling towards the floor, but Alissa managed to catch her. The Romagnan cuddled up in her bosom and started sleeping.

"What the flying fuck was that?" Sieglinde asked with wide opened eyes.

"The most absurd rendition of _Amazing Grace_ I saw or heard in my life…" Elwyn shook her head and took a sip.

"Now that's what I call a week head, hahaha!" Shinobu cackled and started drinking her own beer.

"I'll take her to her bed," Alissa said warmly. "Our boob devil needs a time out. Hope you won't punish her, Katie?"

"I guess that was the booze unshackling her wild boob urges… No harm done I guess," Katie shrugged.

Alissa smiled and dragged the Romagnan out of the room.

 _"_ _Wish you saw this, Toshiro… Heh…"_

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	47. Chapter 47 – Darkness cometh

**Public service announcement - I updated my profile a bit. There's a new section, and unfortunately, one project got scrapped.**

* * *

Chapter 47 – Darkness cometh

* * *

 **Commander's office.**

Ellie exhaled deeply, and wiped the tears off her eyes with her fingers.

"Here, Mommy," Tatiana gave her a handkerchief.

"Thanks, Sweetie," Ellie said and wiped off her face. "So, Kola and Toshiro, thanks for listening. And you too, you little scamp," she pinched Tatiana's cheeks slightly."

"Ow! Heh, sorry, Mom, I just can't help but listen to your voice now."

"Daaaaawwwww!" Ellie hugged her again. "Don't say such things, or I'll cry again."

"And we'll get diabetes from the overall sweetness," Toshiro smirked. "Okay, Kola, let's get the bottles and our sorry asses from here."

"You're the boss," Kola said and started gathering his bottles.

"Wow, wonder what somebody would say if an inspection happened now," Ellie pondered. "I let the girls have a beer each."

"I wonder how their alcohol tolerance is? Anybody know?" Toshiro asked.

"No, not exactly," Ellie said. "Why do you want to know?"

"The girls in the 501st were literally the whole scale. Mio and Francesca were the weakest, but I don't blame the little squirt."

"Wasn't she younger than me then?" Tatiana asked.

"Yeah, she had her fourteenth birthday on Christmas Eve 1945. But sheesh, what happened when I let her taste vodka at Lynne's birthday party over a half year earlier in Romagna… Imagine this – she had just one shot, and she started groping everyone singing _Ol' McDonald,_ just with "tits" instead of "farm.""

"Sweet Jesus…" Ellie gasped. "That must have been hilarious!"

"Bah! Poor thing passed out before she could grope all the girls though. And if it's about Mio, well, she didn't do such wild things when intoxicated, but the two beers you had would sure make her woozy."

"That's almost nothing for me; I'm a Leh after all," Ellie giggled. "Okay guys, thanks for everything, even if it looked like nothing. Now excuse me, I want to pamper on my future daughter a bit in the private now."

"Yay!" Tatiana cheered.

With bottles clinking in their arms, the two left the room and went towards the dining hall.

"That thing with… Giulietta's grandmother? Yeah?"

"Yeah?" Toshiro asked.

"That really happened?" Kola smirked.

"Like shit, I kid you not Bro. But I remember that day so vividly mostly because of what happened in the late evening."

"And what happened?"

"Me, Yoshika, Shirley, and Minna happened. One bed, one dick, three hot girls waiting to be boned and not shy to grind on each other."

"Motherfucker…" Kola gasped in awe. "And Aya won't let me _use_ one of the other girls…" he sighed deeply.

"This can change today, so stay tuned. Now, false smile on your face, and let's go."

They entered the dining hall, under the examining looks of the girls.

"Well then, nice soiree you had," Sieglinde said. "And we're stuck here with one beer a pop."

"You have to be combat ready; we can drink until we fall," Toshiro smiled with satisfaction, but he looked around and asked, "Where's Alissa and Giulietta?"

The girls started looking at each other ashamed or outright snickered.

"Grandpa, something like from an episode from the _Twilight Zone_ happened. After Giulietta downed a whole beer at once, she started groping everyone while singing some horribly malformed version of _Amazing Grace_!" Aya explained confused. "I don't know what the hell happened!"

"Really?" Toshiro asked with a straight face.

"Uhum," Aya nodded.

To that, Toshiro simply fell to his knees, cackling like a lunatic and both his arms wrapped around his waist. The girls looked surprised at Toshiro, but Kola was snickering too, barely holding himself from bursting out into full out laughter.

"What the…? Kola, do you know why Grandpa is laughing like he lost it?" Aya asked.

"Uuuugh…" Kola calmed himself down. "Well, Giulietta's grandmother did something very similar yay back in the times of the 501st."

"Fucking gold…" Toshiro gasped as he tried to calm down. "Oooofff…" he stood up. "Kay, I'm good."

"Um, Grandpa? We need to talk…" Aya said with a stern face.

"Then let it rip."

"In private…" Aya mumbled.

"Let's go to the backside of the gym, kay?" Toshiro proposed.

"Mmmmhmm… Okay, let's go," Aya stood up. "Oh and… We might be gone for a bit longer…"

"No prob, we're off the hook for today I think," Katie said. "Go."

Aya went out, and Toshiro followed her. After a few seconds, Nami asked, "I wonder what they'll be talking about?"

"If it's Toshiro, it's probably some serious piece of advice," Alissa appeared in the door. "Or sex. Or advice about sex."

"Old McDonald had some sex…" Elwyn chimed.

"Let the damn sleeping dogs lie!" Shinobu yelled. "My poor tits…"

 **Gym**

After making themselves cozy on a training matrass in the corner of the gym in total silence, Aya asked, "Grandpa, can you tell me about yourself? I mean the whole unaltered story of your life?"

"My dear granddaughter wants to know something about me? I don't know if that's something I should be proud about, or if you're planning something."

"A-Actually…" Aya stuttered. "I only wanted to ask about your love life, but… Maybe if I know you from ground up to the tips of your hair, maybe then I'll understand why you are how you are…"

"I see…" Toshiro said. "You're probably in a pinch about what to do with Kola right now?"

"Well… Yeaaah… Did he complain?" she asked curiously.

"He didn't complain, Aya. Men don't complain, they state the obvious at most," he smiled. "So that's why you reserved some time with me… Okay then, I'll try to shorten the boring bits, so you won't keel over and fall asleep, or that we won't have to sit here till bedtime."

"Just don't skip the… erotic bits…" Aya blushed.

"Oh don't worry; I'll describe them in detail," he smirked devilishly.

 **Bedroom**

After an hour, Giulietta slowly came to herself.

"Uuuuugh…" she moaned quietly.

Elwyn appeared at her side and asked, "Want some aspirin?"

"Yes please…" she mumbled.

"After that little show of yours, I should shove that pill up your ass, but I suppose it's a genetic condition…"

"W-What did I do?" Giulietta asked terrified.

"You groped half of the girls to a surreal version of _Amazing Grace_ ," Elwyn said emotionlessly.

"My God… Sorry…"

"Start your rounds of apologies; I'll go fetch that aspirin…"

"Oh, you want to fetch something from m…mmm…. the commander's office? I can go," Tatiana said from her bunk. "I'll even get you some water to that."

"If you would be so kind… I hope I didn't feel you up too?"

"No, I was absent at the time," Tatiana smiled slightly. "Off I go."

Once Tatiana exited the room, Shinobu said, "Giulietta, I hope you're prepared for some punishment?"

"Errrrmmm…"

"No excuses, sister, punishment has to be dealt," Sieglinde said. "But we'll be merciful enough to do it after you feel better."

"Some mercy that is…" Giulietta muttered under her nose.

 **Commander's office**

Tatiana went into the office as if it was her own room and said, "Mommy, Giulietta needs an aspirin."

"I guess I know why…" she smiled and rummaged her desk. "Here," Ellie threw a hermetically sealed BAYER made aspirin tablet.

"Thanks! Where's Katie by the way?"

"She's taking stock of our pantry just in case. Go and fetch some water for that tablet."

"Kay!" Tatiana cheered and rushed out of the room.

"What a happy girl," Ellie smiled to herself.

 **Kitchen**

Tatiana entered the kitchen, and she tried fetch some quietly water for Giulietta, but the door of the cupboard creaked horribly.

"Who goes there?!" Katie's voice thundered out of the opened pantry door, and she peeked out with a frown on her face. "Oh, Tatiana? You're a rare guest alone here."

"I just wanted a glass of water so Giulietta can take some aspirin," Tatiana explained slightly frightened.

"Ah, help yourself then. I thought somebody wanted to raid the fridge. Not on my watch, hah!" Katie shouted proudly and went back into the pantry.

Tatiana took a glass, filled it with water, and went her way.

"We're out of beer, that's something sure…" Katie mumbled under her nose. "Good that they didn't decide for vodka, or we'd be a dry unit, heheh… Ugh, but we're short on bread… I'll have to go to Lebyazhye or Kamyshin tomorrow…"

 **Bedroom**

"Ah, you're here, just in time," Sieglinde said just as Tatiana entered the room.

"In time for what?" the Orussian asked the small bunch debating in the center of the room.

"We've debated upon the punishment for the boob devil," Shinobu said. "And I think we've reached a verdict."

"Tatiana, give me that already, because I think my head will split in a second…" Giulietta moaned from her bunk.

"Sure, sure…" Tatiana hurried over to her friend in need. "By the way, how did you know that aspirin is a rather good hangover cure?"

"From movies," Giulietta smiled faintly.

Aina, who was surprisingly awake, giggled from her bunk.

"So, boob devil, ready to hear your punishment?" Sieglinde asked.

The Romagnan looked pleadingly at Alissa, but she only said, "Yours were the hands that grabbed those breasts, not mine."

"Crap…"

 **Gym**

Many hours later, Toshiro finally ended the story of his life, complete with extended commentaries on his love life, and inserted advice to Aya specifically.

"Well I'll be…" Aya said in wonder, nodding her head slowly. "I still don't approve all the things you did, and all those overly-sexist jokes you crack, but at least now I know what makes you tick, Grandpa. Thanks for your story," Aya smiled and kissed Toshiro on the cheek.

"No, thank you for listening," Toshiro said and pointed at the darkness before them. "Sure took me, huh?"

"Uh, yeaaah… We missed dinner, but I guess Alissa or one of the girls firmly believed that our conversation is more important than food," Aya said with a smile, but her stomach demanded recognition and churned violently. "Eheheheh…"

"Well then, let's see if we have something laid off," Toshiro stood up. "Coming?"

"Actually… No, I have a few things to think through, and now this is the best place to think. So… Tell the rest I'll be coming later, kay?"

"Sure thing, Sweetie. Happy and eventful thinking!" he made a step and said, "But know one thing, Aya - I envy you."

"Oh?"she tilted her head. "I thought you achieved everything in life. What is there to be envious of?"

"From day one, you have a normal family, grandparents, and even great-grandparents," he sighed. "And me?"

"Ummm… Wait, I got it, let's see if I remembered!" she said and started counting on her fingers. "Your father, whom you didn't even see, died in an accident when you were twelve, saving your father-in-law and my great grandfather."

"Correct."

"Your mother, my great grandmother, died when you were seventeen, although she might as well could have died a painful and slow death due to her leukemia a year later."

"And why did she die?"

"She wanted for you to live. I admire her for that… Not everyone would give up their life, no matter how short their future would be, so somebody could live on…"

"If I had a saying in this, I would stop her… But okay, continue please."

"Your grandfather, the biological one and the third-to-last Kaiser of Karlsland, is only a historical figure for you, since he died way before your birth."

"I'd still like to meet him one day, but… I kind of forsaken the gods and stuff…"

"You had the right to do so, after what they tried to do to you," Aya said firmly. "You did the right thing, Grandpa.

"Yeaaaah…"

"Your other step-grandfather died in the first days of the Second Neuroi War, correct?"

"Yup. I saw his grave in Klausdorf, when I was on a _mission_ in the vicinity."

"Your grandmother you managed to meet, but only for a few minutes before she died right on your eyes… How awful…"

"At least I could meet her in person," Toshiro sighed.

"And you barely know anything about your grandparents, right?" Aya asked.

"Yeaaaaaaah… I did plow through the archives, so at least I know something about them, but those are only raw figures and names…"

"Now I know what you meant about being envious," Aya said and hugged him. "But I hope you're not mad, right?"

"Not even, Aya. Once your mother and her two siblings came to this world, I have devoted my life to bringing them up and achieving academic success at the same time. Guess I managed perfectly hahaha!" he laughed loudly. "Aya, if wish you from the bottom of my heart that this war ends soon, and that you can have a normal life, your own personal family, and a loving husband."

"Heehee, thanks…" Aya said softly.

"Okay, I'm going now. Think your stuff through, it always helps."

"Oh Grandpa…"

"Whaaaat…" Toshiro moaned half-seriously.

"Can you show me all the magic types again?" Aya smiled.

"Of course," he countered with his own smile.

He took a step back, and suddenly orbs of various colors surrounded him, staying in place, and throwing light around him. Aya stood up and started silently counting them.

"Wow… You really are proficient in all magic types…"

"Some I can say I've mastered, some I have just learned and used a bit," he calmly explained.

"Heheh… Okay Grandpa, you can go now," Aya said.

"I feel like a Moor…" he snickered and the orbs disappeared. "No more questions?"

"Actually… I do have one… How the hell do you look so young for your age? And Grandma too!"

"Hmmm… Heheh… You know, my Celestial Order power enables me to manipulate over matter so I experimented on myself once I got powerful enough…"

"That's… foolish!"

"Don't worry, Livy was watching over me. I partially regenerated the telomeres in our cells, as well as the collagen in our skin. That, my dear Aya, is our secret."

"So you're de facto… What, forty? And grandma would be around thirty-eight…"

"Yeah, I'm physically forty right now, good guess," he patted her on the head. "I'll be going now, okay?"

"Sure…" Aya said.

Just as Toshiro exited the gym, Aya sighed and said, "Damn… Kari, what do you think about all of this?"

A blonde haired girl materialized herself, sitting beside Aya on the training matrass in a _seiza_ position.

"What exactly, Mistress?"

"The whole hubbub with Kola, sharing, et cetera…" Aya sighed.

"Love is not my _thing_ , Mistress," Kari said calmly. "My job is to provide you with my service as a tool, and maybe as a conversation partner if you feel like talking to me. However, from the knowledge I did gather while with you, you should consider _employing_ your best friend."

"Which best friend, Kari?" Aya asked confused "Even I don't know who is the bestest of the best."

"I'm talking about the one that looks a bit like me, Mistress," Kari winked.

"Oh, Sigi? Well… Kola, Sigi, and me… Sigi is still untouched by a man, and she's bisexual, at least she says so… It would be good for her that she had her first time with a man that wouldn't hurt her emotionally…" Aya pondered. "But Kola is mine! Aaaaaagh…"

"If I may, Mistress…"

"Sure."

"Look at your grandfather, Mistress. Did you tally up his _headcount_ , or your dear grandmothers? That's a number of sexual partners most men and women can only dream of having. Your grandfather started before he was officially dating your grandmother, continued through the period of their dating, and went through the time of them being engaged."

"And yet, just almost two years ago, they exchanged gifts of coral… And in slightly over two weeks, they'll have the thirty-seventh anniversary of their wedding… Wow… You know what, Kari? I think I'll do it. This one time, for the first and last time, we'll have a threesome."

"I'll pass," Kari said with a stern face.

"Oh come on, you know what it meant," Aya giggled.

"Yes, Mistress," Kari smiled. "Do you want to talk about something else?"

"Weeeelll… Do you perhaps know why my Celestial Aura is so unstable?" Aya asked.

"I sadly cannot tell you, Mistress."

"Not even a hint?"

Kari shook her head.

"Bawwww… Well then, another question – was that really a wormhole to the Neuroi home world?"

"Indeed, it was, Mistress. The time of resolution is coming fast, but don't worry, we are prepared."

"You know something."

Kari looked to the side sadly, biting down her lower lip.

"I guess you can't or won't divulge the info about that either…" Aya sighed deeply. "Now I really REALLY know how Grandpa feels about Alissa. Damn it."

"Are you mad at me, Mistress?" Kari asked quietly.

"I can't be mad at you, just because you're doing your job like you're supposed to," Aya said warmly. "I guess that's all I wanted to ask you. Till next time."

"Thank you for the conversation," Kari smiled and disappeared.

The dead silence of the gym, basked in the darkness, rung in Aya's ears.

"Now, I only have to… Or not, that will be a surprise, heehee…" she giggled under her nose. "Time to grab something to eat."

 **Dining hall**

 **Suppertime**

Toshiro observed Giulietta for the whole time since he returned from the gym, up until now. She was nervous, but when she even looked at him, she became even more nervous, and at the same time, some of the girls looked with smug faces at the poor Romagnan. He decided to let it wait for a few more minutes, but after just waiting two, she slowly moved from her spot, ran up to him, placed her hands on Toshiro's shoulders and said, "F-Forgive me…"

Her head shot forward, but Toshiro simply put his hand between his and her face and said, "Now, now, what would it be if I was caught kissing a minor at this day and age?"

"It's just that I… I…. I have to…" Giulietta fidgeted around.

"You have to…" he looked at the previously mentioned girls, who played innocent. "You know what? Give me a minute. Everyone! Attention please!"

 ** _"_** ** _Kye?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Muhehehehe…"_**

They all stopped eating, looking at Toshiro, who approached on of the unused tables.

"Before I resolve this… unpleasant matter, I want you to show a magic trick!"

"Oh, magic tricks!" Elsa cheered and clapped her hands.

Toshiro took the oilcloth tablecloth from the table he stood beside, almost exactly his size, and said, "Now you see me…" he put up the tablecloth before him, and after two seconds he said, "Now you see _me_ ," with a female voice.

When his cover dropped, so did the jaws of the gathered, because from a man is his fifties, Toshiro changed into a beautiful, eighteen year old woman, with long black hair, and with a lot filling her tight uniform in the chest region.

"Nice trick, huh?" Toshiko asked.

"How the…" Katie said.

"…bloody hell did you do that?" Elizabeth ended her cousin's sentence.

"Let's say I still have my connections to the higher powers," she winked and approached Giulietta. "Now, I believe you _had_ to kiss me. How about it?"

"Hubba hubba…" Giulietta breathed heavily. "I can't just start kissing you like that right away!"

"Ah, okay then," Toshiko said and less than a split second, she pulled off her uniforms shirt, revealing a satin black bra tightly spanning her voluptuous bosom, as well as the perfectly trained body.

"Holy… Daaaaaaayuuuum… Whaaaa…" Sieglinde couldn't piece together a grammatically correct sentence.

"Come on, don't be shy," Toshiko whispered.

Giulietta shyly placed her hands over Toshiko's breasts, and she weighed them in her hands.

"Ooooooh… Eeeexceeeleeent…" Giulietta moaned quietly and started making slowly kneading them. "What fine tits…. Bah, whatever now!" she shouted and outright kissed Toshiko, with a _lot_ of tongue.

 _"_ _I'll have a lot of apologizing to do to Yoshika…"_

Toshiko felt that a hand was wandering down slowly down her belly, but she caught it in time and said, "No, no… That region is reserved," she winked and approached the oilcloth. "And with this, we end this farce."

She put up the cloth, and after two seconds, Toshiro returned in full glory, however with his chest still uncovered. Now, the rest of the girls started sweating. Toshiro smirked and put on his shirt, to which the girls moaned in disdain collectively.

"So, what was with that kiss? Sieglinde?" he asked after sitting on his place.

"Errr… We decided to punish Giulietta for her groping incident and… it was decided that her punishment was to kiss you…"

"How goddamn retarded..." Toshiro sighed. "You thought that what, the fact she's a declared lesbian would stop her from kissing me? Or the fact that I'm a married man? Guess what, girls, I saw such shit done from pure desperation, your tits would fall off in wonder. You could have just fucking kicked her in the ass a few times, and _finito,_ justice served. Or for something more sadistic, you could have tied her down and each have a go at groping her."

"I actually proposed that…" Angela mumbled quietly.

Toshiro just waved is hand in a "forget it" gesture and said, "Whatever, nothing happened; Giulietta is absolved from her _sins_. Eat up, who knows what battle could await us tomorrow."

"Yes sir…" the conspirers mumbled in unison.

"Grandpa that was… errr… ingenious and stupid at the same time," Aya said.

"Well duh, that's the whole me!" he smirked.

"While we're all distracted now, I have to go shopping tomorrow with Katie, so we'll be unavailable for as long as usual I guess," Ellie said. "Now, anyone have any announcements?"

Seeing that nobody is going to say anything, Ellie just said, "Then let's finally eat in peace."

* * *

After supper was concluded, everyone beside the usual three that had to clean up left for the bedroom.

"How in the name of Baby Jesus did her pull that darn trick?!" Elwyn shouted suddenly when the three of them were alone.

"Shave my tits and call me a washboard, but I don't fucking know…" Katie answered while shaking her head. "Maybe you have the faintest idea, Lily?"

"Bloody hell do I know! But _that_ was magic, blimey!" Elizabeth said in admiration. "But he did say that he has connection to "higher powers," did he?"

"Yeah, he did," Elwyn said. "He did somewhat confirm he was the champion of some goddess, so maybe he still has some connections to her?"

The girls shrugged collectively and returned to their chores.

 **?**

"Achooo!" a black haired beauty with golden eyes, wearing a kimono in a floral pattern sneezed heavily.

"Your Highness?" her adjutant, a man with winged shoes asked.

"Nothing of need," she replied. "Just some girl with enormous jugs is talking about me behind my proverbial back."

"Ah, I see. But I think she's beyond our reach, Your Highness."

"Yeeeaaah… A certain someone would rip our heads off if Toshiro or any of his friends even lost a hair in the result of a divine intervention…" she sighed.

"Did you perhaps call, Ami?" Livy appeared with a rebellious smirk on her face.

Hermes scooted off so fast that he only left an afterimage, but Ami only smiled back at her and said, "Nice to see you again, Livy. How are you doing?"

"Overall fine, thank you, but… my Master worries me…"

"Have a seat," Amaterasu said and made her a nice chair.

"Thank you," Livy said and sat. "Because of the memory wipe Master inflicted upon himself, our relationship was reset to a level that Master thinks I'm a dear friend of his, but he doesn't remember our sexual encounters or all of what happened after he returned from the simulation between us and the Mistress… I did agree to it, but I couldn't disagree with Master, that was out of the question… Now my heart is aching, because I want to spend more time with Master, but not just as a friend, but as somebody he loves…"

" _Ara, ara_ …" Amaterasu sighed and shook her head. "Maybe you're just randy?"

"Randy… But I'm of Elder God status, Amaterasu, I can't just be _randy_ … Or can I? This is confusing…"

"Randiness and love are on the same side of the coin, Livy, at least that's what I think. If you want, I can relieve you of that feeling, at least I can try."

"So… You want to do it with me?" Livy asked surprised. "But… What will Master say?"

"You want to get a blessing from that Fuckatron 9001? Livy, if he knew what you're feeling right now, he would probably bolt you down himself, or really send you my way, I'm sure of that."

"Ugh… I don't know… I… I have to contemplate on this, Ami… Please, give me some time, okay?"

"Sure thing, Livy. Remember, I also have a crush on that oaf…" Amaterasu said with red cheeks.

"I know," Livy smiled. "I won't stand between you and Master if you want to have intercourse, but do mind not to overstay my welcome, so to speak…"

"Well, at least you have one trait of a god – benevolence," Amaterasu snickered. "By the way, tell me – why are you so hell bent on Toshiro? Is it just because the Allgod told you to serve him in fullest or…"

"I really do love him… But Master also has a secret that makes me a bit more entitled to love him…"

"Do tell."

"Secret."

"Okay…" Amaterasu sighed. "Want to stay, perhaps? Maybe we could discuss something else?"

"Actually… Yes, please."

"Hermes!" Amaterasu yelled, and the godly messenger appeared in a split second.

"Y-Yes, your Highness?"

"Ambrosia for me and my guest, we'll be having some girl talk now."

"Immediately!" Hermes replied and in one second, he reappeared with a gold platter with a diamond pitcher on it, with two chalices made out of platinum besides it.

"Thank you, now go," Amaterasu said as she took the items from him.

Once Hermes disappeared, Livy asked, "Why bother, Ami?"

"That pleb is still in the last eon with their mentality, so I'm just adjusting myself to rule them with an iron rod, simple," Amaterasu shrugged. "Say, you didn't read the answer from my brain, did you?"

Livy smiled and replied, "I try to be as _human_ as it can be, Ami."

"Ah, right… Oh that Toshiro, what a bother, and what a blessing at the same damn time…"

 **Bedroom**

Nighttime rolled in for the 777th, and everyone beside the Aina and Tatiana was in their bunk.

 ** _"_** ** _Toshiro, you'll have to wait a bit for Toshiko today."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Why so? She missed her train or what?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Heehee… No, it's just that this night will be rather… busy for some."_**

 ** _"_** ** _And I don't want to be caught_** **in flagranti** ** _with my eighteen year old gender-bent clone?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Precisely. Now, watch."_**

 ** _"_** ** _You won't tell me to sleep now?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _She knows you're watching anyway, and most of the action will be happening under the blanket so…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah, got it."_**

Aya slowly slid out of her bed and quietly skulked towards Giulietta's bunk, which she jumped on as nimbly as a cat jumping on a windowsill.

"Oh my… This is happening…" Giulietta whispered while breathing heavily. "Wh-Who should start?"

"You have more experience, go ahead," Aya smiled and slid under the blanket.

 ** _"_** ** _Kye, earplugs…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _So you are a bit decent."_**

The earplugs appeared in his ears just before the sounds of mouth work and slight moans could reach his ears.

A bit later, once the two finished, and Giulietta laid on her back in post-coital ecstasy and fatigue, Aya jumped on Sieglinde's bed.

"Woah, Aya… I hope you don't want to do me now?" Sieglinde asked.

"Actually, come with me."

"Where and why for?"

"Trust me," Aya put her hand forward.

"I always trust you, Aya," Sieglinde grabbed her hand, and they slowly walked out of the room.

 ** _"_** ** _So they're going to do it! Hah, I guess Aya does care about Kola to such extent that she's willing to give him such a reward."_**

 ** _"_** ** _A double reward, Toshiro. Sieglinde is still a virgin technically."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oooooh… Kola, I hope you're in shape!"_**

The two wandered up to the door of Kola's bedroom, and Sieglinde asked, "Ayaaaa… What is the meaning of this?"

"You see, Sigi… Ermm… I did stuff with you, and now with Giulietta, and on the other hand, Kola had sex only with me. So… After hearing out Grandpa's story, I decided that you should be a participant of a surprise threesome…"

"Wait, what? You're willing to share Kola with me?" Sieglinde asked obviously stumped.

"Yes, Sigi. And I'll even give you some tips, so your first time will be the best possible experience."

"M-M-M-My first time… O Mein Gott… Whew, it's not my period now… Okay! Let's do it!"

"Ha, what enthusiasm! Come on then."

Once the two entered his room, Kola asked, "I heard you two from a mile, and I don't know what to think about this."

"I just want us to try something different," Aya said. "We're still _only_ engaged, so now is the best time for experimenting and… side-steps…"

"I see… So, Sieglinde… You can bail out of this; nobody will have any hard feelings."

"No, I actually want to pull this through. Elwyn had sex already, Aya is now having sex with you, and I don't want to be left out. You wanted to ram your dick against the back of my uterus? Well then, let's see if you can hold up to your promise."

"Actually, he's able to…" Aya whispered into her ear.

"You mean… S-So big?" Sieglinde asked scared.

Aya nodded, and only the relative darkness hid the sudden paling of her face.

"Don't worry, Sieglinde, I'll be gentle," Kola said softly. "But I really don't know how to behave right now."

"We'll have to ad-lib this," Aya shrugged. "And remember – it's just sex, nothing behind it."

 ** _Proyekt Avrora_** **Facility**

 **Intelligence room**

All the important scientists were crammed in a small room, waiting for the processed payload of the _satellite_ that ventured into the wormhole. Then finally, a soldier came into the room with a spool of magnetic tape, a meter long tube, and a stack of papers.

"This is for you," the soldier said, passed his items to the nearest scientist, and left.

"Liosha, come here," Sakharov said to the man, and he obediently followed his order.

The professor opened the tube, and pulled out a big photo in color, made out of the smaller photos taken by the battery of cameras in the _satellite_. He spread it on the table and everyone around swarmed him.

"Crystalline structures… Barren land… No traces of miasma…" one of the scientists, a specialist on Neuroi started describing the alien landscape on the photo. "Two suns, and possibly a moon… But what is this smudge?" he pointed at a black spot with a hint of red on the far right of the photo...

"Maybe some space radiation damaged the film roll?" Sakharov asked.

"Possible… But why don't we go through the papers, and in the meantime listen to the tape?"

"Good idea," Sakharov said and took the tape.

He approached the player, fixed the spool on it, pulled the tape to the guide, and pressed the play button. For most of the time, they could only hear the sound of the rocket engines, but soon after that, they heard an eerie silence. When they started frowning out of disappointment, a thunderous metallic voice said, "Welcome, humans. Since this contraption of yours seems to have a return trajectory se to occur very soon, I will cut it short. When your month of January ends, I, Xadeus, King of the Neuroi and lover of the deceased Neuroi Queen Xadea, will come to your world with such a massive invasion force that your very skies will be eclipsed. My revenge will be brutal."

The cackle of the Neuroi filled the air, and dead silence occurred after it. The scientists didn't know what to say, looking blankly at the tape player.

"We need to pass this on," Isshiki broke the silence. "Most importantly, we need Professor von Edelweiss here. Somebody has to contact the First Secretary too. And the Liberians!"

Sakharov cleared his throat and said, "Good and clear thinking. I will contact Andropov myself, and you yourself will have to be at the base of the 777th once daylight breaks."

"Understood, Professor Sakharov. Should I make copies of all these materials?"

"As fast as possible. Our world is once again at the brink of destruction…"

* * *

 **So a few reminders/explanations:**

 **The Neuroi Matriarch, the big baddie Toshiro pwned at the end of OVA was named Xadea, thanks to merging with his godly counterpart, Adam the Allgod. Once Xadea was dust, a self-inflicted memory wipe took place, removing his knowledge about his godliness and about the fact that Livy and him were lovers alongside Yoshika. Just after that, Amaterasu was appointed the Queen of Gods thanks to Toshiro's feat, since he was her Chosen.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	48. Chapter 48 – Friend or foe?

Chapter 48 – Friend or foe?

* * *

 **Bedroom**

 **2306 MSK**

Sieglinde slowly trotted forward through the dark room, swaying from side to side. When she got to the bed where here bunk was, instead of jumping up, or even pulling herself up, she just slammed down beside Angela, embracing her with one arm in the process.

"Sieglinde, for crying out loud…" Angela sighed. "Where were you and why are you so cuddly all of a sudden? You know I won't do it with you."

"No need…" Sieglinde said with a blissful voice. "I experienced something that I won't forget for the rest of my life…"

"Hmmm? Care to elaborate?"

"I had a threesome with Aya and Kola…" Sieglinde giggled quietly. "Damn that was something… Although, I first felt as if he was impaling me, not trying to pleasure me, but I managed," she giggled yet again. "And then…"

"Okay, okay, I got it. You had some good time," Angela stopped her. "Spare me the details, please."

"Oh, why are you so sour, Angela? Envious?"

"I'm pissed off that you woke me up in the middle of the night after returning from a tryst, that's all," Angela said, pulled the blanket out from under Sieglinde, and placed it over her. "There, now can we sleep?"

"Oh, I can sleep with you?" Sieglinde asked hopefully.

"Yes, but don't try feeling up my private parts," Angela smiled and embraced her friend. "There, good night."

"Night, Angela," Sieglinde said with happiness written all over her face.

 ** _"_** ** _Damn…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I guess it's time already."_**

A big lump rose under Toshiro's blanket, and it soon flattened out a bit, and moved a bit down his legs.

"Oh yeeees…" Toshiro said quietly while tucking his hands under his head. "This is living."

 **Airspace over the Volgograd Oblast**

 **January 27, 1983**

 **0005 MSK**

"Ummm… Tanya?" Aina asked shyly.

"Yes, Aina?"

"I have a question, although I don't know whether I should ask it…"

"Asking questions is free, Aina, only the answers may be withheld," Tatiana smiled.

"Oh, okaaaaay… So… How did you, a fourteen year old girl, get to know about _Deep Throat_?"

Tatiana paled a bit on her face slightly and answered, "That's actually tied to one of my assassinations…" she raised her hand. "Don't worry, I'm fine, and I'll answer you."

Aina nodded while looking at her friend in night patrols tensely.

"This was almost two years ago, when I was only twelve. My target was holed up somewhere in New Britannia in Liberion, and there was only one surefire way to flush him out."

"And that was?" Aina asked curiously.

"He was a pedophile. After a few days of playing alone in a specific location, dressed up in a pretty white one-piece, the guy finally appeared."

"Was he a cookie cutter guy that abducted children and subjected them to horrible tortures?"

"Pretty much yes, but let's not jump the gun. He took me to his apartment, promising a movie and sweets. The first part he fulfilled, oh yeah…" Tatiana shook her head.

"A copy of _Deep Throat_ on VHS, huh?"

"Yeah…" Tatiana mumbled. "When the first blowjob came in, I felt him feeling me up on the thigh. I was disgusted by what I saw on screen, but that simply pissed me off into hell… I simply slaughtered that child-fucking pervert, and I'm not using a hyperbole. There was so much blood, and I simply dissected him while he was still alive with a butterfly knife. After doing my job, I removed all traces of my existence, and ran away. I had to frequent a bush to dump my breakfast, not because of I murdered him, no. I was already indifferent about that. But the movie… Ugh… Bleh… Filthy… And that penis was…" Tatiana shivered in disgust.

Aina flew up to her, and while patting her on the back gently, she said, "Okay, okay, its fine. Calm down, Tanya… We don't need you to hurl again…"

"Yeah…" Tatiana smiled a bit. "It's funny, but I feel a bit… lighter?"

"Well, you had to bottle that one up for all these years, so I guess venting it was good for you," Aina explained.

"Maybe… If you could listen to one more…"

"Ummm… Don't get me wrong or anything, but that's probably top secret KGB shit, and if I get to know too much…"

"Aina, you're in this shit waist deep anyway," Tatiana rebuked. "Think about it. The whole unit actually is, after my identity was revealed."

"Oh okay, but just one!"

"Heehee… So… I was supposed to kill Fidel Castro…"

"Wait, what?! You, as an Orussian were to kill him?!" Aina shouted surprised.

"Yup, he started being too cheeky, and veering off too much towards the _Liberianskies_."

"Then how is he even alive?"

"I was called off. My target had a change of heart, and re-accepted Mother Orussia as his true love…" Tatiana shrugged.

"Damn, not bad… Actually, fuck it, I want to know everything!" Aina cheered.

"Okay, but not too much at once, or you won't be able to sleep, heehee… So, one time…"

 **Kola's bedroom**

When Kola opened his eyes, the memories of the last night came back to him vividly, and he only smirked to himself silently.

 _"_ _Aya, girl, what have you done… That was the most awkward, but most exciting thing I have ever experience in my whole life…"_

 _"_ _Master, you managed to do both of them! I'm proud of you!"_

 _"_ _How can you know what can be prideful or not in terms of sex?"_

 _"_ _Errr… Kuro told me some things that Mistress Aya learned from her grandfather, heheh…"_

 _"_ _Well, okaaaay…"_

Aya moved at his side, and stretched herself greatly.

"And how is my little kitty cat doing?" Kola asked.

"Mmmm… Good…" she mumbled blissfully. "But how are you, my big bunny rabbit?"

"Oh, I'm fine," he replied with a smile. "Wonder how Sieglinde is doing though…"

"Yeeeaaah… I should check if she ain't sore or something… Man, did she scream…" Aya sighed.

"She was as tight as if her pussy was only bones."

"Well, she probably was scared a bit… But when I grabbed her hand, did that help?"

"Sure, she loosened up immediately," Kola smiled. "That was cute, you know?"

"That I grabbed her hand? Well… You know, at first I was a bit tense because of the peculiar situation, but I also felt the tension coming from Sieglinde. I didn't want her first time to be traumatic, unnecessary painful or anything, so she would have a good future experience with men… You have to know that she's a bit androphobic…"

"Not a fucking clue…"

Aya giggled and said, "She masks it with hostility. Sigi should drop her guard around you a bit now. You know, she was even distrustful of Grandpa when she first met him, but it took him less than a minute to open her up."

"That guy really has his way around women…" Kola sighed. "Returning to us…"

"Heh… So, did you like it?" Aya asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Which part specifically? Doing Sieglinde solo while you were holding her hand…"

"Let's not go into details," Aya interrupted. "Hmmm… As a whole, for now. I'll ask Sigi the same question."

"Damn girl, you sure know how to make a man happy," he grinned. "Thank you, Aya, even if this was the only time."

"You can be damn well sure it was…" she mumbled with a grumpy look.

"Oh come on, you little sourpuss," he raked her in closer. "Let's say we're even now. But we could always open up a new tally, hmm?"

"Koooolaaaa… I don't wanna…" she pled. "You had your go at Sigi, I had mine at her and Giulietta, and I taught you how to shoot. Yes, we're even, but no, I don't want to open up a new _tally_ ," she said with a firm voice.

 _"_ _At least not now, heehee…"_

Kola sighed deeply and said. "It seems I'm being henpecked already… But I love you too much to oppose you, Aya, so…"

"Oh no no! Kola, this relationship will be one of equal standings. We both have equal rights, and we both can voice our opinions and concerns, as long as we won't hurt each other."

"Awwww… Aya, you're so sweet when you're being intelligent," Kola smiled. "Say something smart."

"Errr… Deoxyribonucleic acid?" Aya said baffled.

"Wuzzat?" he asked.

"You don't know? Oh, fuck, I forgot…" she mumbled. "Sorry…"

"You probably wanted to say, "Didn't they teach you about that in school," huh?" he smiled wryly.

"Uhuh…" she nodded embarassed.

"Well whatever it is, you'd better move, because I think it's your turn to cook for breakfast."

"I suppose I have a minute before I have to do that so…" she lowered her lips just above his. "I can use it."

 **Bedroom**

Toshiro was lying on his back and humming a tune, waiting for the prodigal granddaughter to return. Only a slight nod of his head was enough to see Angela and Sieglinde still sleeping together, all cuddled up under one blanket.

 ** _"_** ** _The two look kinda cute…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Cute you say, huh? Even without being who I am, I know that you would gladly join them if you were at least thirty years younger. Or actually now if you stopped giving fucks, and started handing them out instead, heehee…"_**

 _"_ _I confirm."_

 _"_ _Et tu, Yuki? Ugh… Well, you didn't discover the wheel with that_ psychoanalysis _of yours… I have to have a manly talk with Kola on how he did last night."_

 _"_ _You call bragging on about fornicating_ manly talk _? If I didn't know you, I would just keel over from uncontrolled laughter…"_

 _"_ _Oh shut the fuck up, you damn snake… Thirty seven years didn't put a damn dent on your venomous character."_

 _"_ _I'll take that as a compliment, heheh…"_

Angela slowly opened her eyes, and she saw her comrade still sleeping at her side, with her mouth slightly opened.

"Hey, Sieglinde…" she whispered. "Sieglinde, wake up."

No reaction whatsoever was given to her words, so Angela decided to wake her up the best way she knew. She slowly moved her hand over to Sieglinde's right side, and slowly tickled her.

Sieglinde snorted slightly, and with her eyes still closed she whispered, "Oh stop…"

"Are you awake?"

"Yeah, I am. Just stop, because if the girls get wind I'm ticklish, I'll lose the rest of my pride."

Angela smiled and said, "Okay, I won't… Although…" her hand wandered a bit lower, resting on her right buttock. "You would probably like some touching down under, hmmm?"

"The last thing I would expect is you to get on with me. Come on, don't tease me."

"Sure, I won't," Angela said and moved her hand off her friend. "I wonder where our dear sexually active comrade is? Besides of course being in Kola's room."

As if on demand, Aya entered the room quietly, and wandered to her bunk.

"Oh?" she tilted her head seeing the two in one bed. "Did I miss something?"

"Just two perfectly normal girls sleeping together in a platonic way in one bed," Angela explained.

"Ah, okay. I thought Sigi couldn't have enough…" Aya smirked and started changing clothes.

"I think I'll have to visit Giulietta tonight…" Sieglinde muttered quietly to Angela.

Angela sighed and said, "Whatever makes you feel good…"

Before Aya pulled her tank top up completely, she froze in place and hastily pulled it back down. She looked at Toshiro, who was smiling wryly towards her. Aya shot an irritated glance towards him, and Toshiro shrugged, jumped out of his bunk, and exited the room.

"You sure trained your grandfather well," Nami giggled. "But you know…He saw you naked in the bath recently, so why bother?"

"The bath is the bath, Nami. You as a hundred percent Fusojin should know it by heart already," Aya replied calmly.

"Heehee, I forgot that despite you only having less than half of Fusojin blood in you, you are simply in love with the country of your ancestors," Nami smiled. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to be ogled outside the bath either, even by my own family. Well, maybe except for _oka-san_ …"

"Your body is hot enough for it to be considered sinful to look at it in the mirror, hahaha!" Shinobu laughed. "Okay, now both of you start dressing up, or Katie will rip your tits off if you are tardy."

Nami and Aya looked at each other, and in unison they chimed, "Yeeees dooorm mooootheeer!"

Shinobu frowned her eyebrows, grabbed Masakuni, still it it's sheath, and said, "You scamps are in for it!"

"Waaah, the Killer Shino appears!" Aya giggled as she ran away.

" _Tasukete! Gojira wa watashitachi o oikakete!_ (Help! Godzilla is chasing us!)" Nami laughed as she joined her friend.

 **Kola's bedroom**

Kola was pulling on his briefs, when a knock on the door sounded quietly.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"You decent, Kola?" Toshiro's voice sounded from behind the door.

"I'll be in a few seconds, want to talk, or what?"

"Indubitably."

Kola quickly pulled up his briefs and said, "Come in."

Toshiro came in and said, "Well, we're dressed similarly, heh… So, how was last night?"

"Ah, somebody I can talk to about it!" Kola said joyfully. "Want the detailed version, or just a quick rundown?"

"I have time, Bro, don't skimp on the details," Toshiro smirked.

"Well then, take a seat, and let's get started," Kola smiled wryly. "I'll just skip what I did with Aya _privately_ after that."

"Of course, what am I, some kind of _incestophile_ or what?"

 _"_ _I wonder…"_

 _"_ _Oh can it, damn snake…"_

 **Commander's office**

"Where are those painkillers…?" Ellie muttered quietly. "My period just had to start, damn it…"

She rummaged her desk, and just then, the phone started ringing.

"You have to be kidding me…" she said and raised the receiver. "Yes?"

" _Podpolkovnik_ Horbaczewski, a helicopter will be landing in ten minutes in the base you're governing. Please make sure that it can land."

"Wha…" Ellie tried to ask but the connection was cut off. "What the hell is this all about?!" she shouted, but then a realization hit her. "Oh nooo…"

She ran out of the room, and stormed Kola's door, without even bothering to knock. She blushed heavily, seeing Toshiro and Kola sitting in their underwear, but she said, "Kola, you need to hide. There's a heli coming for our base, and I don't know what it's carrying."

"Ah damn…" Kola sighed. "Where should I hide know?"

"In the storage. Now, get dressed and hide there," Ellie said and looked out of the window. "Good that it didn't snow yesterday; I wanted to _employ_ you, Toshiro."

"Wouldn't have been a problem, Ellie," he shrugged. "One second and the runway is clean as for an inspection of the Minister of Defense himself."

"Save yourself for whatever may come today. Kola, chop chop, you got to hide!"

"Yeah, yeah…" he muttered and started dressing himself. "I'll hide on my own accord; I know this place inside out."

"Just do it before they arrive, okay?"

"Okay, okay… Besides, that's a single heli. I could probably kill half of the crew myself if it comes to it," Kola answered.

"Right now, we shouldn't even think about violence, Kola," Ellie frowned at him. "We have both Alissa and Toshiro to talk with whoever comes."

"Indeed," Toshiro smiled satisfied. "I have to go and put on my uniform myself," he stood up, but Ellie pushed him down on the chair and said, "Wait, I have to tell the news to the girls first. You don't want to accidentally peek on them?"

"Weeeeeeeeelll…"

"You do want to…" Ellie sighed. "Just follow me, but don't enter the room."

"I feel weird being commanded by somebody who isn't even a one star… I really am a good guy it seems, heheh…" Toshiro laughed briefly. "Oh, while you're telling the girls in the bedroom, I'll notify Nami and Aya, okay?"

"Ah, good idea. Aya could behave unpredictably since I'm implying Kola could be in danger…" Ellie pondered. "Smart move, Toshiro. Let's do it."

 **Kitchen**

"Hum dee dum, cooking stuff…" Nami mused over the pot. "Aya, pass me the salt," she said without taking eyes off the pot. "Ah, thanks," she answered as soon as she felt the weight of the salter in her hands.

"No problem," a male voice answered her.

"Wah!" Nami shouted in panic at reflex. "Oh, it's you, Toshiro… Could you please put on some pants? Looking at the _package_ of yours makes me nervous…"

"Can't do that now," Toshiro answered. "And I have important news."

"So important you have to poke Nami's sexuality?" Aya asked.

"Or mine, for that matter?" Katie asked.

"I guess so. There's a helicopter incoming with unknown content. Ellie fears the worst, so she ordered Kola to hide in the building. We are to stay calm, and not make any rash movements," Toshiro explained calmly, and he noticed Aya's right eyebrow started twitching, something he first noticed in the simulation years ago. "Aya, your tic started, calm down. You have me, Alissa, and the rest of the girls. Even if they do mean to do something to Kola, I can disappear with him in a matter seconds unnoticed."

Her eyebrow stopped twitching, and she answered, "Okay, Grandpa. When will it land?"

"In about seven minutes. The best you can do now is finish the current stage of your breakfast preparations, so you can resume them after the shitstorm passes. Now, it would be advised to get some umbrellas…"

 **Runway**

Ellie, Katie, Toshiro, and Alissa were waiting for the helicopter to land. The enormous attack helicopter, called Hind by the NATO, or "Crocodile" by the Soviet pilots, slowly approached to land near the _parking_ of the base.

All four of the present recognized that this was the "V' variant of the Mi-24, with each wing equipped with a GSh-23L twin-barreled autocannon secured in a gunpod, a rocket pod full of S-8 unguided rockets, and two 9K114 _Shturm_ rockets on the wing-tip pylons.

After touchdown, the side door opened vertically, and two soldiers armed with AK-74's jumped out.

"Smile…" Ellie muttered quietly through clenched teeth.

However, both she and Toshiro got relieved quite quickly once they saw the two people coming out next. Helping the old Sakharov descend was Professor Isshiki. Once both were down on the runway, Isshiki received a big cardboards box, and the engine of the helicopter started revving down.

"We meet again, Professor von Edelweiss," the old man said. "This time in a slightly different scenery.

"Lieutenant General Alissa Maya from the Bundeswehr," Alissa introduced herself with a smile.

"Um, Major Katherine Kowalski, originally from the _Wojsko Lehistańskie_ ," Katie said a bit baffled.

"I am Andrei Sakharov, and this is the mind behind the wormhole you had to… contain… yesterday, Kentarou Isshiki."

"Pleased to meet you," the man bowed slightly.

"So, what do we owe the visit?" Ellie asked.

"We have browsed through the materials acquired in yesterday's _mission_. The copies are all in that box that Isshiki has, and we HAVE to show them to you… four I guess," he said after eyeing all of them. "Can we come inside? I was told you have the necessary equipment."

"Can't the rest of the girls watch?" Toshiro asked.

"First the four of you, since you have the highest ranks here," Sakharov replied.

"Aya is the same rank as me, and she's my right hand," Katie said. "Why not let her in?"

"The professor's granddaughter? Ah, whatever! Let her in too and later we'll decide if the rest should know immediately."

"Then follow us," Ellie said.

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	49. Chapter 49 – Too Much For One Man

Chapter 49 – Too Much For One Man

* * *

 **Lobby**

Once inside, Toshiro shouted, "Aya, you're needed for some _official_ business, come out!"

Aya appeared seemingly out of thin air and said, "Oh, I saw these two through that window back then. I racked my brain who the older man is…"

"Sakharov," the old man said with a smile. "Such an intelligent girl should guess who I am now."

"Oh, the dissident?"

"Hahaha! Your grandfather called me "the nuke man"! What a difference!" Sakharov laughed.

"Boys will be boys," Aya giggled. "And who is this?" she pointed at Isshiki.

"Kentarou Isshiki," he introduced himself bowing deeply. "Your great grandfather was one of my college professors."

"Oh, would you look at that! So I guess I can let my guard down completely now?"

"Completely would be a great overstatement," Toshiro said. "But we don't have to fear the two. They're men of science."

"Indeed, we'll behave just like stereotypical eggheads," Sakharov snickered. "So, let's proceed?"

"Yes, let's go," Ellie said. "This way."

"What am I needed for?" Aya asked.

"A little show and tell," Isshiki said. "Of great magnitude…"

"I see…" Aya furled her eyebrows slightly, sensing the tenseness in Isshiki's voice.

Ater a few meters, Ellie said, "This is our radio room. I believe we should _park_ here. After you, gentlemen."

"Thank you," Sakharov said and entered, Isshiki following him closely.

The Fusojin dumped the carton on a small table, and packed out the content, covering its entire surface.

"And that's all stacked and rolled up," Isshiki said. "Now, first, the tube," he popped the lid and pulled out a high quality copy of the panoramic stitch he first saw in the bunker. "Please, take a look."

The girls and Toshiro huddled up, and Katie asked first. "What's all of this?"

"I think they succeeded…" Toshiro muttered silently, but then, his heart started racing as he saw the black-red blotch. "Tell me this is some kind of interference, a solar flare, cracked lens, WHATEVER!" he shouted with his voice trembling.

"Now, what is…?" Aya looked at the blotch and said, "Oh fuck…" covering her mouth just a bit too late.

"Wait, what's happening?" Ellie asked confuse, looking at Toshiro who took a seat, and Aya leaning over him.

"I guess the two already know," Sakharov explained with a grim look. "Isshiki, play the tape."

"Right," he responded and primed the tape for playing. "Playing tape… Now."

Ellie and Katie tensely listened to the tape, and when a voice suddenly spoke, they both jumped up. As it spoke, blind rage started consuming Toshiro, making his Celestial Aura appear spontaneously.

"Calm down, Toshiro," Alissa said as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Is that a _calm down_ or calm down?" he asked angrily.

"Both," she winked. "Don't make a scene right now; hitting anything or anybody won't help."

"I guess you're right," he muttered, disabled his aura, and started breathing heavily.

"W-W-What was that?" Katie asked with a pale face after the voice stopped.

"You heard it," Toshiro said with a cold voice. "Xadea's _hubby_ revealed himself. For fucks sake! From the motherfucking frying pan, into the motherfucking fire!"

"Toshiro, but you and your girls should be able to defeat him, right?"

"You don't understand, Ellie. The Neuroi we are all fighting are exponentially stronger than those of the Second Neuroi War. From each type of Neuroi, maybe equivalents of the third class appeared during that war, and we have two more. Moreover, there still are Inverts, which are basically a sixth class. Add to that that enormous dreadnought and you have it. Now imagine how much stronger must the head honcho be…"

"I… I see…" Ellie said quietly.

"The Liberians want to do a pre-emptive strike, that's why they need the _Avrora_ ," Sakharov said suddenly.

"A pre-emptive strike? With what?" Toshiro asked. "If that fucker wasn't kidding, you would have to take every witch in the world to just combat his lackeys."

"I don't know the details, but they call it "Project Elysium," and it's supposedly some kind of new type of bomb."

"Great… Need I remind what happened the last time humanity relied on a wunderwaffe?" Toshiro asked sarcastically.

"Indeed, but they swear on everything holy that this is something groundbreaking," Sakharov explained calmly. "They are supposed to deliver it by tomorrow, and probably the same day, the operation will start. Copies of the documents you see here were sent with Hermes Mail as soon as they were ready to Liberion. I do encourage you to look through them."

Toshiro approached the table, and the stack of papers moved suddenly.

"Done," he said. "A human breathable atmosphere, ten degrees Celsius…" he muttered. "No wonder the fuckers like it here so much."

"Incredible reading speed," Sakharov laughed quietly. "Our job is done here. We leave the materials with you. You decide how many people from this unit know, but I was told to wholeheartedly dissuade you to proliferate this."

"That's understandable," Toshiro said. "Panic would consume the Earth faster than a Neuroi invasion…"

"I'll lead you to the door," Ellie said quietly. "Follow me…"

"I wish you good luck, Professor. I have a feeling you and your cute granddaughter will play a great role in the upcoming events," Sakharov said and shook his hand.

"Yeeeeaaaah… If we'll have to battle that whole Xadeus, than it's only us…" Toshiro sighed. "Have a safe flight you two."

"Thank you, and goodbye," Isshiki said.

Once the three exited the room, Katie said, "I'll go lie down... If I cook in this state, a disaster is inbound."

When she exited, Toshiro asked, "Kye?"

"I will only tell you two that Sakharov was right, saying both of you will have a great role in the upcoming battle. What the role is, and what outcome will it have? You have to wait and see for yourselves."

"Kye, tell me something that will calm me down, because I feel a heart attack coming…"

Aya embraced him and said, "Calm down, Grandpa, we killed more powerful foes in the simulation! We can do it!"

"Did you already forget how much energy Kye pumped into us? We would have to train tens of thousands of years to obtain such a power, and I truly doubt she'll give us such a gift now," he looked at the blonde.

"Woooon't teeeell…" Alissa mused. "Just let the events unfold freely, okay?"

"Won't you ever fucking say anything…" Toshiro yelled, but he grabbed his chest and bent in half with a grimace of pain on his face.

"Grandpa!" Aya shouted and pushed a chair under him. "Please calm down…" she said concerned and fired up her Final Art level healing magic.

"I told you to calm down," Alissa said indifferently.

"But Grandpa is fit as a fiddle, how could this happen?!"

"Stress, Aya. Right now, Toshiro is churning through such amounts of psychological tension that any lesser man would have fallen dead minutes ago. You can stop now, Aya."

Aya stopped her healing magic and asked, "Are you feeling better, Grandpa?"

"Yes, yes... Thanks…" Toshiro breathed heavily.

"Go lie down; you'll get breakfast in bed," Aya commanded. "I mean it."

"The girls will ask questions about literally everything," Toshiro said.

"Tough luck, I'll have to keep them in the dark," Aya answered adamantly and raised him from the chair. "Come on."

Toshiro sighed deeply and said, "Yeah, worrying won't do shit. If something is meant to happen, it will happen. I just hope it will happen without godly bullshitry."

 _"_ _You can hope all you want, Toshiro…"_

 **?**

 _"_ _Master?"_

 _"_ _Yes. Bianca?"_

 _"_ _Kuro is telling me that the coast is clear. The people that came were scientists that presented rather… unnerving materials about the Neuroi… I think he wants you to comfort her with a good word."_

 _"_ _If comforting is needed, I will do it."_

Kola slipped out from under the cardboard box in which the washing machine present in the laundry room was delivered in, and went out of the room in which he hid himself.

 _"_ _She'll be exiting the bedroom soon, so go there, Master."_

 _"_ _You could call me Kola once in a while, you know?"_

 _"_ _Hmmm… Maybe when we get to know each other better…"_

 _"_ _I'm not pushing."_

 **Bedroom**

"Now, stay put, Grandpa," Aya said after making sure Toshiro is comfortable in his bunk.

"Yeah, I will… " he sighed. "Go and make breakfast, or the girls will start a mutiny."

"I'd rather deal with that than with… you know…"

"I can imagine what you just imagined," Toshiro shuddered. "Go now."

Aya turned around and exited the room. Almost immediately, Sieglinde ran up to his side and jumped on his bunk.

"Toshiro, what happened? Aya looked concerned as if she almost lost somebody."

"Let's say I stressed out too much about an issue…" Toshiro smiled slightly. "You are surprisingly caring, Sieglinde."

"Oh, well…" she blushed. "That's my gentle side… So… Err… What happened?"

"Aya forbade me to get worked up over it, so I won't answer," Toshiro said and patted her on the head. "Now give the old Toshiro some rest, kay?"

"Kay," Sieglinde smiled warmly. "Take care."

 _"_ _I was really worried for a second, you know? Gods dammit, Toshiro, stop getting so stressed out by everything!"_

 _"_ _Yuki, do you even understand what's at stake here? Back in the SNW, I could lose Yoshika, Uncle, Adi, the 501_ _st_ _, the 31_ _st_ _, some other friends, and my future in-laws. Right now, I have all of them, and two generations added, minus Uncle, including my own personal family I have started. And if that whole Neuroi King isn't talking shit, this could get very ugly."_

 _"_ _Right, right… Damn, I sometimes forget I have a kid too... But you're really overreacting, Toshiro. Aya is here, and Kye will probably help as much as she_ can _."_

 _"_ _The extent of that help is what's worrying me the most. Will she actually help directly, even within mortal limits, or just go poof and "I shant interfere, verily.""_

 _"_ _Yeah… Always with her half-assed cryptic help…"_

 _"_ _Come on, Yuki, let's take a small nap, no point in dwelling on the topic."_

 _"_ _Yeah, good idea. Aya did good work with preventing any damage, but you should still rest. But not too long, I guess they'll serve breakfast soon."_

 _"_ _Ten minutes, Yuki. I just want to kill the time."_

 **Corridor**

 **In the meantime**

Kola saw Aya exiting the bedroom, minding her own business, so he quietly hugged her from behind once she closed the door.

"Oh, Kola… Ugh, I'm not in the mood…"

"Wait, what? You're not in the mood for hugging? What happened?"

"Grandpa got so pissed off at something he almost had a heart attack…" she answered solemnly. "And that something is not a laughing matter so… Thanks that you want to cheer me up, but I don't have time now, breakfast is waiting to be made."

"Okay then…" he sighed and let her go.

She immediately turned around, jumped up, and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Don't you start worrying about anything either!" she said in a lecturing tone. "Where did you hide by the way?"

"In the storage, under a cardboard box."

"Heheheheheh… How could that work? Are you some kind of snake-in-the-box or what?"

"Dunno, I had a hunch," Kola shrugged. "Okay, go, or we'll be hungry."

Aya smiled briefly and ran off. Once she arrived in the kitchen, she saw Nami with a pot on her head, peeking over the counter.

"Show's over, Nami," Aya smiled. "Back to work."

Nami stood up and asked, "Oh, nothing happened?"

"At least nothing concerning Kola. Is Katie here?"

"No… Yeah, where's Katie?"

"Mmmm… I guess she has to rest, just like Grandpa," Aya shrugged. "Don't ask, maybe Ellie will give out the info during breakfast."

"Okay," Nami nodded, and her makeshift helmet dropped to the ground with a loud clang. "Heh, whoops…"

"We have to get into top gear, Nami; it's only us two left cooking."

"We'll manage…" Nami waved her hand lazily from back to front. "You have your time bending thingie after all, right?"

"Of course we'll manage!" Aya cheered.

 **Commander's bedroom**

Ellie and Katie were lying on the former's bed, holding their hands firmly in complete silence.

"You should go and help the girls…" Ellie said quietly.

"They'll manage…" Katie mumbled. "I don't even feel like eating…"

"You have to, Katie. What if _that_ happens and you're on an empty stomach…?" Ellie asked with false interest.

"Stop, Ellie… This doesn't make sense… We're facing something of even greater magnitude than the initial invasion, and you try to be calm, logical…" Katie said with a deadpan face.

"We have to wait for the events to unfold, Katie. We can't just assume that everything will go to hell, right?"

"I wonder what Toshiro felt when Xadea announced her plans?"

"Go and ask him."

"Later… Maybe during breakfast…"

"After breakfast. During breakfast, I'll have to tell everyone the bitter truth," Ellie squeezed Katie's hand tighter.

 **Bedroom**

 ** _"_** ** _I'm glad you calmed down, Master."_**

 ** _"_** ** _A micro nap helped me a bit. Ugh… What a situation, geez… Xadea at least gave us well over a month, this guy gives us only six days, scratch one. Do you think we should perform some emergency training?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _If we have to adhere to the rules of this planet, that gives us fifty days of training, Master. That would power up you and the Young Mistress quite nicely."_**

 ** _"_** ** _But I guess we don't have a luxury of potentially spending five real days on training, do we?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I can only confirm that what you are thinking right now is highly logical, Master."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah… Again with the brain probing… Ehhh… Those five whole days wouldn't mean squat anyway, let's say that clearly. As mortals, both Aya and I have limits, and we are close to them right now anyway, thus, training now would be a waste of time and energy. Although, maybe Aya could learn to control the Celestial Aura… Hmmm…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _If I may interrupt…"_** Kye chimed in.

 ** _"_** ** _Ugh, whatever, Kye…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Thanks. Aya's control over the Celestial Aura is not related to her power level at all, I'll say only that. Also, you're right in your assumptions that your unspoken assumptions that you won't have the five days, since the Liberians want to make their move before Xadeus."_**

 ** _"_** ** _So you literally confirm that tomorrow is the judgment day?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yes, I do. Their haste has a good side to it though. Xadeus isn't a god, so he has some limitations in spawning his… spawn. A pre-emptive attack will disrupt his preparations, but to what extent, I won't tell."_**

 ** _"_** ** _So tomorrow… Fuuuuck… Give me some guidance, Kye."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I will guide you as the events unfold, being a voice of reason in the back of your head, that I can promise you."_**

 ** _"_** ** _At least that… Thanks, I suppose…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _No problem, Toshiro. Say, Livy, why don't you give the big guy a hug, hmmm?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh, can I?!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Woah, what's with that enthusiasm, Livy? Maybe I don't want to be hugged, you should know how grumpy I can be when I'm in a bad mood."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Pweeeeaaaaasseee… It's just a little hug, Master…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Ah, you pulled that one against me, huh? Fine, pop in."_**

Livy materialized herself instantly, and gave Toshiro a good hug from the front.

"It's so nice to hug you, Master…" Livy whispered.

"Surprisingly, I feel better hugging you… What kind of trick is this?"

"Well, Master, I will give you an answer in less than 24 hours."

"Why the fuck do you gods tease me so much, ugh…"

"Because you're a hound dog, Grandpa," Aya grumbled from the floor beside his bunk. "Hi, Livy."

"Welcome, Little Mistress," the blonde haired goddess smiled.

"Oh look, it's Aya," Toshiro looked towards her. "Breakfast for me?" he asked after looking at the platter in her hand.

"I worry myself about you, and you're making out with your own sword? Shame."

"But I do feel better thanks to it…" Toshiro mumbled in his defense.

Aya raised her brow, and cracked a small smile, "I suppose a hug from a goddess has some _abnormal_ qualities. Eat up, Gramps, you're the first one."

"Wow, I feel honored, heheh… Thanks, and I think I'll return the dishes myself."

"If you feel like it, be my guest. Just don't try to be a hero, okay?"

"Yes, of course, my dear granddaughter," Toshiro snickered.

"Ellie will probably tell everything at breakfast," Aya changed the topic suddenly.

"I hope it won't cause too much backlash…" Toshiro pondered.

"Don't think about it, Grandpa, that's the worry of the commanding officer and her hands." Aya winked and turned around. " _Guten appetit_! _"_

Once she closed the door, Livy said, "You really have the ability to gather women behaving like angels toward you, Master."

"A devil like me has to have some angels hovering around him, heheh…" Toshiro laughed. "So, do you consider yourself my angel, Livy?"

Livy blushed and said, "Uh… If you permit me to think about myself like that, Master…"

"You already done enough for me to grant your little wish, Livy," Toshiro said softly. "Now, let me eat, okay?"

"Of course, Master!" Livy cheered and disappeared.

 **"** **You damn womanizer. You even seduced an Elder God, bravo."**

 **"** **I didn't order sarcasm with my meal, Kye. But I'm wondering why she's so clingy towards me, despite being the partner of the Allgod… Hmm…"**

 **"** **One day she'll tell you that, heheheh…"**

 **"** **Oh fuck you, seriously…** " Toshiro shook his head, but once he opened his eyes, he saw a bowl full of fries on his platter.

 **"** **Eat up, Toshiro. Let's say that's a little "get well" gift."**

 **"** **More like "get arteriosclerosis,""** Toshiro giggled and started eating. **"But you know, maybe I should call Aya directly, huh?"**

 **"** **You and your new tricks… Stop showing off, let the girls shine a bit more."**

 **"** **Hey, it took me almost half a year in Ami time to learn forced two-way telepathy! Cut me some slack!"**

Suddenly, a piece of baloney fell on Toshiro's platter.

 **"** **Ha-fucking-ha, Kye… But okay, maybe I should keep some secrets from Aya…"**

 **"** **Use it only when necessary, not for shits and giggles, Bub."**

 **Dining hall**

"Before we eat, I would like you all to listen carefully," Ellie said with a firm voice.

"Shouldn't we wait for Aya?" Nami asked.

"She knows already," Katie replied.

"Ah, right, I forgot…"

"This is serious business, therefore I prefer for you to lose appetite rather than waste the food in another way," Ellie explained. "Our visitors were two professors which Toshiro and I met yesterday. They came with some audio-visual material that's…" Ellie took a deep breath. "…rather shocking. Katie, continue please."

"Yes. You see, the materials state clearly that… that… that the coming Monday might be the beginning of the end of the world…" Katie said with the pale face.

"What do you mean by that?" Angela asked with a stern face.

"All that know the name "Xadea" raise their hands," Ellie said suddenly, and seeing everyone doing it, she said, "I applaud the educational systems in your countries. A tape that the scientists brought, and a photo, confirms that her _lover_ , Xadeus, is preparing an invasion on an unprecedented scale coming from his home world."

"What?!" Shinobu shouted. "But how is this possible?!"

"It seems we don't know squat about the Neuroi…" Katie sighed. "But it was somehow obvious, that if there's a queen a king must follow."

"But Toshiro didn't tell anybody about such a possibility, unless…" Angela pondered.

"Grandpa wouldn't withhold such knowledge," Aya said suddenly from the doorway. "He told everyone necessary the whole knowledge that Xadea has passed onto him, and never ever was there implied that there's another one like her," she approached the shivering Marie, which nobody seemed to notice earlier. "Marie, everything will be okay, I promise. Grandpa, Alissa, and I will make sure that the bad guy will be killed."

"A-Are you sure?"

"There's nothing a witch can't do, Marie," Aya smiled.

"Ma'am, what do we do?" Sieglinde asked.

"We proceed with our usual daily ordeal. You girls go train, and I'll manage the office as usual. Kola you join the girls." Ellie commanded. "Don't let this news get to your heads, girls. It's enough that Katie and I are on the brink of a nervous breakdown," she tried to smile. "Everyone dismissed."

"Roger!" the girls shouted vividly.

"Okay, usual break, and we're attending training!" Katie shouted. "No excuses!"

 **"** **We won't be training together today, Aya. Have fun with the rest."**

 **"** **Do you know something, Alissa?"**

 **"** **I know nigh everything, Aya, don't forget. Today, just join the girls, pamper on Toshiro, or whatever comes to your mind."**

 **"** **I see… That preemptive attack by the Liberians will trigger a sooner invasion?"**

 **"** **What a bright girl you are. You're partially right, but I'll leave you in the dark, just like Toshiro. It wouldn't be fun spoiling it, would it?"**

 **"** **Well okay… I trust you're not trying to play the trickster goddess suddenly?"**

 **"** **I led Toshiro through the end of the Second Neuroi War, that should be a big enough recommendation, don't you think?"**

 **"** **I guess so, although some of the gray hairs he has are probably your fault."**

 **"** **Heh…"**

"Ma'am, can we view those materials?" Angela asked.

"Yeah, we would like to see them ourselves," Shinobu added.

"Have at it, girls. Everything was left like that in the radio room. The tape on the player is the one you want to hear out."

"Thank you, ma'am," Angela said and ran off with Shinobu and Sieglinde.

 **Bedroom**

"Aaaaand another one," Livy led a fry into Toshiro's open mouth. "Heehee, this is fun, Master. But… Oh, the girls are coming. Good that was the last fry," she said and disappeared with the bowl.

The door opened, and the stream of girls slowly flowed in, with of course Aya running up to check up on him.

"At least your appetite is okay, Grandpa," Aya chuckled. "But… I smell something that doesn't belong to the breakfast…"

"Livy fed me fries," Toshiro whispered.

Aya shook her head with a deep sigh accompanying it. "You sure know how to live the life, Grandpa… Okay, I'll take this from you," she said and took the platter with the dishes. "Be right back."

After Aya exited the room, Toshiro dropped down onto the ground and stretched himself carefully.

"Everything okay?" Elsa asked.

"Sure, Elsa, I think I'm fine now. Everything okay on your end?" Toshiro asked.

"I think… I believe in you and Aya. And Alissa would help in a pinch, right?" the Karlslander looked at Alissa.

"Of course, but you know my limitations," Alissa smiled.

"If anybody needs my counseling, I'll be back in an hour or so."

"Where are you going?" Elsa asked.

"For a walk, I'll be on the base perimeter," he answered.

"Okay, have fun!" she cheered.

Toshiro took his outdoor clothes and went out.

"Counseling?" Elwyn asked.

"Toshiro has a knack for helping people in a pinch," Alissa explained. "The running joke is about him opening a branch of "Toshiro Life Consulting LLC" wherever he goes."

Elwyn pondered for a bit and said, "Maybe I'll bite… This situation is unique, and frankly, I'm a bit scared."

"My bet is that he'll talk to everyone individually," Alissa winked. "He did something like that before the battle with Xadea."

"Would be nice," Giulietta butted in. "I have something I would like to talk about besides the battle."

"Why not talk with us?" Elwyn asked.

"Toshiro probably has bigger experience with the thing I want to ask him about…" the Romagnan blushed slightly.

"I see…"

 **Radio room**

"Shits real…" Sieglinde sighed after hearing the tape.

"You can say that again…" Shinobu grumbled. "I guess my sword will be of use…"

"But you know what makes me think?" Angela asked. "What would happen if the commies didn't open that wormhole? Would that Xadeus thing warn us too? Or would he just rain down Neuroi from nowhere, as per usual practice?"

"Like the beginning of the Second Neuroi War and this one?" Shinobu asked. "I wouldn't be surprised if the latter happened, but the first is also possible. That cocksucker is too full of himself."

"But I didn't spot a single Neuroi on this photo," Angela started banging said item with her finger.

"Maybe they all went invisible?" Sieglinde asked.

"That's possible. And it makes it even scarier, since we can't gauge the enemy forces easily."

"Full of himself and cunning to boot…" Shinobu shook her head. "Come on guys; let's go back to the bedroom, nothing to do here."

"Yeah! Let's pump some iron to get our minds off this clusterfuck!" Sieglinde shouted enthusiastically.

"One hundred and ten percent Sieglinde…" Angela giggled.

 **Bedroom**

Aya entered the room, and she immediately saw that Toshiro was missing, frowning instantaneously.

"He went for a walk," Alissa explained. "Just for a walk."

"Ah, okay, just a walk and some fresh air will be good for him," Aya's frown disappeared.

"Don't worry like that, Aya…" Alissa smiled. "With nothing to get pissed off from, he'll be okay."

"Aya, Aya!" Giulietta waved her in. "Come on."

Alissa smiled wryly and said, "Off you go."

"I wonder…" Aya muttered and went to Giulietta and Elwyn. "What's up?"

"Say, Giulietta is bragging her mouth off that you two had some rather tremendous sex yesterday."

"Giulietta, please, don't brag on just like that…"

"It's only Elwyn," Giulietta said in her defense. "I'm really proud of it! Oh and… Errr… I forgot to thank you… I literally fell asleep after our last _act_ …"

"No problem, Giulietta. I had fun, you had fun – so it's a win-win situation. But don't count on a replay today."

"Nah… Today I think I'll stick to Elwyn."

"You're going that way?" Aya looked at the Liberian surprised.

"You know, doing it with somebody else is… fun and… feeling somebodies warmth…" Elwyn started mumbling with a red face. "B-But I think I'll try to reel in a husband after all…"

"Oh? You got over your little episode with that Steve guy?" Giulietta asked.

"I'd rather _consult_ Toshiro with that…"

"Consult?" Aya tilted her head. "Ooooh… I guess that got out, heheh… Well, I'll leave it to Grandpa then, I don't want to spoil his fun."

"Both of you should do this consulting thing," Elsa said out of nowhere. "Toshiro being the life experienced, and you, Aya, being our best friend."

"You think so?" Aya asked.

"Yup," Elsa nodded.

"Well…" Aya mused. "If I can help my friends, then I'll talk with Grandpa about this."

 **Runway**

Toshiro was slowly trotting along the rather clear runway, under the cloudless sky, lit by the morning sun.

 _"_ _No Kye, no Livy, no Yuki…"_

 _"_ _Ahem…"_

 _"_ _Well, scratch that last part... What do you want?"_

 _"_ _That sounded a bit too peaceful for you…"_

 _"_ _Oooookaaaay… What do you want, for fucks sake?"_

 _"_ _Heehee, much better! I'm just getting a bit melancholic, you know? I never thought I would be with you in your -_ ties."

 _"_ _What do you mean, Yuki?"_

 _"_ _Ugh… I never told you, but… When Ami assigned me to you, I never believed you would last long, even if I would break the ice between us. I thought the Sacred Flame would either consume your body, or at least your mind… But look, it's the year 1983, and you're almost at your peak. Sorry…"_

 _"_ _Nothing to be sorry about, Yukilein. My whole life is some supernatural clusterfuck, and I only went through it thanks to supernatural entities, which of course include you, you stupid snake. If you had any doubts about me, you've redeemed yourself for every moment you helped me, from stupid things to great powers."_

 _"_ _Daaaaaawwww… Thanks, Toshiro…"_

 _"_ _I think I'll go train with the girls."_

 _"_ _You perv… I regulate your body so you don't have to move a muscle to be fit. You just want to look at the girls, Pervshiro."_

 _"_ _And what if I want to? I always love looking at beautiful girl bodies!"_

 _"_ _Perv to the umpteenth power… Let's go then, Hentaishiro… I guess after defeating Xadea, you're forgiven for some random outburst of perversity…"_

 **Gym**

The training regime was a bit more lax than usual, so the girls decided to do whatever they want, as long as they are training in some way. Sieglinde and Shinobu decided to do bench presses, with the latter amazed on how much weight her friend is pressing. Kola decided to occupy the dumbbells, and the rest was playing soccer.

With a no look pass, Angela gave the ball to Aya, who after doing a sneaky dodge just before the shot, managed to place the ball into the net, now guarded by Nami. The team led by Angela cheered, but Nami got pissed off, and shouted, "Now try to defend this!"

He body glowed, and as she kicked the ball, it accelerated as if shot from a railgun. Elsa, the goalkeeper of the opposite team was ready for such a turn of events, and on reflex, she spun in a 180-degree kick, empowered by her inherent magic. To her bad luck the door opened, and the ball disappeared into the corridor. Cold sweat streamed down Elsa's back, and then, Toshiro, dressed in his gym clothes, entered with the ball firmly in his right hand.

"Now who wanted to behead me?" he asked aloud with a roguish smile.

"Errrrr…" Elsa fidgeted, but after being pointed out by everyone participating in the match she shouted. "Hey! Traitors!"

"Elsa, want this one back the same way I got it?" Toshiro asked while sparking his Celestial Aura.

"No thanks! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Elsa pled on her knees.

"I'm joking," Toshiro said. "The ball would rip through the wall and knock out a window of some poor sap in Lebyazhye.

"More like it still would have enough power to raze the whole neighborhood," Alissa snickered as she waved her hands in a manner to exhibit an explosion.

"Grandpa, what are you doing here?" Aya asked.

"I just want to have some fun, not lie in the damn bed till dinner."

"Oh, that's praiseworthy attitude!" Sieglinde said from under her weight, which was bending from the amount of weights on the ends.

"Well then… How about you play with us?" Aya asked. "Of course in the opposite team, heheheh…"

"Game on!" Toshiro shouted.

 **Commander's office**

Ellie was sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room and staring blankly at the ceiling. The harsh ring of the phone brought her out of her mindless stupor, and she slowly walked towards the desk on which it was standing.

"Yes?" She asked with a lifeless voice, but hearing the name of her caller, she snapped into attention. "Yes sir, it's me! Yes!"

She _talked_ for a minute, and dropped the receiver on the hook.

"Well then… It looks like everything is in place already…" she sighed to herself. "FUCK!" Ellie yelled while kicking her desk towards the window. "All my plans down the drain! I'll have to tell it to the girls once they have bathed after the workout…"

The Leh looked at the clock on the wall behind her and seeing that the time was perfect, she walked out of her room.

 **Bedroom**

As usual, Tatiana was the first one out of the two to wake up. After stretching herself on the bed, she looked down at Aina's bunk, and saw that the Suomi was invariably sleeping.

 _"_ _She's too cute to be woken up, heehee… But I have to."_

Tatiana delicately dropped on the bottom bunk and started poking her comrade-in-night-flights gently.

"Mmmmmmmmm… Don't want…" she mumbled in return.

"Come on, Aina, it's high time we wake up."

"Still don't wanna…"

The door opened quietly, which Tatiana noticed immediately. Ellie slid in, and the Orussian almost shouted happily, but she bit her tongue and said, "Morning."

"Good morning, Sweetie. What's the matter?"

"Aina is playing coy with me," Tatiana puffed her cheeks.

"Oh is she? Well then, let's see what can be done," Ellie said softly and sat beside Aina. "Hey, Aina, time to wake up."

"Mmmm… Even you want me up, ma'am? Geeez, I think I really have to do it…" Aina mumbled and turned over. "Good morning."

Ellie giggled and said, "Nothing like some good old authority. I just wanted to check up on you two, and wait for the rest to return."

"Oh, why are you waiting for the rest?" Tatiana asked.

"Your granduncle called, Tatiana. But don't worry, it's not about the KGB or anything, it's more about our whole unit."

"So…" Tatiana asked nervously.

"I guess today might be the last full day we could ever live…" Ellie said with a deadpan expression.

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	50. Chapter 50 – Last Day of Innocence

Chapter 50 – Last Day of Innocence

* * *

 **Gym**

Everyone that was participating in the soccer match was now lying on the floor out of breath, burning from envy towards those that decided to stand ground with their weight lifting.

"This escalated way too quickly…" Sieglinde shook her head slowly.

"At least now they have a legitimate reason to take a bath," Shinobu smirked.

"True," Alissa added. "Okay everyone, except for Toshiro and Kola – bath time!"

"Why that exclusion?" Toshiro protested.

"You don't think the girls will let you bathe with them all, would you?"

"Guess not," he sighed. "I had to _work_ on the girls from the 501st so they wouldn't run in panic if they saw me in the bath," he stood up slowly. "I'll be the Big Daddy and fetch you all the bath supplies."

"Oh Grandpa, you don't have to…" Aya started standing up, but Toshiro pushed her down back on the floor and said, "I feel perfectly fine, Pumpkin, no need to worry."

"Okay," Aya smiled brightly.

As Toshiro went towards the exit, Elsa asked, "I wonder what stopped you and Toshiro from demolishing the gym?"

"The rest of you," Aya snickered. "If we were playing one on one, I think this building would be in in shambles."

"And he only smacked us on the head once…" Nami laughed dryly.

"How merciful!" Elsa noted.

"What? Want some more punishment?" Alissa asked.

"N-No, thanks!" Elsa shouted and hid behind Nami.

"In 1945, Grandpa would probably mangle you, but now he's simply lenient," Aya shrugged.

"How do you know that?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"He told me maaaaaany things about his life," Aya smiled. "But enough about that, let's go to the bath already. Anybody need help getting up?"

"Meeeeeee…" Marie moaned.

"Me too…" Giulietta concurred sorrowfully.

Aya giggled, turned towards the more rested part of the unit and asked, "Kola, Alissa, could you help me?"

"Always," Kola said and started walking towards them.

"Come on, Marie, I'll give you a lift," Alissa said and followed Kola.

 **Bedroom**

Toshiro entered the room and saw Ellie hugging both Aina and Tatiana, with the Suomi being all teared up.

He walked up to the three, crouched before them and softly asked, "Hey, what happened?"

"Sokolov called," Ellie explained calmly. "Tomorrow is the day, Toshiro."

"You mean… the Liberians and the wormhole and everything?"

"Yes," she nodded. "But before you asked, that's not why Aina is crying so heavily."

"Oh? Then what's the reason."

"We told her," Tatiana smiled.

"You told her about _that_?" Toshiro asked with a smile.

"Thaaaatt's juuust sooo swweeeeeet!" Aina said and bawled further into Ellie's chest.

"Wow… Welp, whatever now, I have to gather the bath supplies for the girls," Toshiro stood up.

"Tell the girls to gather here after the bath, okay?" Ellie asked.

"Sure thing, you're the boss here," Toshiro snickered. "Say, why don't you tell the rest about this this whole adoption thing?"

"I intend to," Ellie replied calmly.

"Oh you do?" Tatiana asked. "Weee! I can call you Mommy in the public now!" the small Orussian hugged Ellie after releasing a cheer.

 _"_ _I have to get out of here before I melt, heheh…"_

 **Bath**

After hitting the showers, the girls were soaking themselves in the water of the warm waters of the bath.

"Now, this is a first," Alissa noted sarcastically. "Our dear Romagnan doesn't have the power to grope us silly."

Giulietta, who was floating freely on the surface on the water, uncovered by any piece of clothing, replied, "I'm too beat… Buuut… You can have a go at me if you want… What do I care…?"

"Good that Grandpa isn't here…" Aya mumbled. "He would turn you straight in a minute…"

"I meant my boobs; I don't want to be gang raped in the bath…" Giulietta sighed. "Really, nobody?"

Marie shyly raised her hand and she quietly asked, "M-May I?"

"Oh? You?" Sieglinde asked. "I thought you were the last girls that would be interested in such lewd activities."

"I just want to see what the deal is with this whole groping…" Marie said with red face. "May I?"

"Have at it," Giulietta smirked.

Marie carefully approached the Romagnan, and she slowly placed her hands on Giulietta's ample breasts.

"They're big…" Marie pouted. "But I feel nothing special."

"Try rubbing them with outward movements," Giulietta proposed.

"Mmmkaaaay…" Marie started rubbing the two mounds protruding from the Romagnan's chest, but after a minute, she said, "I think I'm broken or something…"

But then, she looked at Giulietta's face, which was warped in bliss, and quickly retracted her hands.

"You tricked me," Marie hissed.

"All's fair in love and…" Giulietta stopped as she saw Marie trotting away heavily towards the showers. "Huh?"

"You basically tricked the innocent girl into rubbing your tits, so you could have a good time," Angela said. "I think rock bottom was now hit."

"Oh come on, that was just boob fondling…" Giulietta waved her hand. "If I were to lead her into going down…" she stopped mid-sentence, seeing Marie returning with a birch besom she took from the shower room. "Oh shit…"

"Oh, Marie, let me do it!" Shinobu raised her hand quickly.

The Gallian looked confused at the Fusojin, and said, "I was actually going to just use this thing as a bargaining tool but… Have it," she smiled devilishly and threw the besom to Shinobu.

"Now theeeeen… I never thought I would say this to you, Giulietta, but bend over!" Shinobu roared.

"I hear banjos!" Elwyn chuckled.

"Heeeelp!" Giulietta screamed.

 **Dining hall**

Kola and Toshiro were drinking beer at a table, at which Ellie was sitting, and the three of them were collectively watching Aina and Tatiana, who were munching away their breakfast before the tube.

"Ffffffffffffffffff… SNAP!" Ellie shouted all of a sudden.

"W-What is it, Mommy?" Tatiana asked concerned.

"I forgot to do the supply run because of all of this… Baaaah! Damn it!"

"Whoops…" Toshiro said. "Are we in big trouble?"

"Yeah, we're scraping on the bottom here. After what the two took for breakfast, we have just enough for everyone to be somewhat full for dinner, but for supper, we're eating nail soup." Ellie explained with a sour face.

"Well then…" Toshiro took a whiff of Kola. "Not bad."

"What the…" Kola said surprised but he was interrupted.

"You don't smell too bad; let's go do that supply run."

"You would do it?!" Ellie asked enthusiastically. "This would keep the itinerary for the rest of the day intact!"

"Well, I can do it; I know both Kamyshin and Lebyazhye," Kola answered.

"Oh, then let me get some money for you, and off you go!" Ellie cheered and ran off.

"Wow, talk about dumping responsibility…" Toshiro mumbled. "But she has to take care of the unit, the girls are bathing, and the two of us freeloaders are available."

"Yeah, let's go," Kola said. "Guess you want to drive, huh?"

"Bah, of course! Just don't give me such directions that I'll drive into a ditch!"

"Hah, of course!" Kola laughed aloud.

The two didn't even managed to walk to the door of the bedroom, and Ellie already stormed out of her office, and ran up to Toshiro.

"Okay, a permission slip, money, and a list of what and where to buy," Ellie said quickly. "I'm sorry I'm dumping this on you, but I have a unit to run."

"Told ya," Toshiro smirked towards Kola. "We'll manage, Ellie, go back to your cute subordinates."

"Thanks!" Ellie shouted, already running towards the dining hall.

"I'll get my coat, you get yours, and we'll meet outside I guess?" Kola asked.

"Indeed."

Three minutes later, the two were inside the big ZiL already.

"Damn, I haven't driven a truck in ages," Toshiro said. "But this means that I get a chance to straighten out that little error of mine!"

"Just don't go overboard; I don't want to repair a blown gasket…"

"Who do you think I am…?" Toshiro said and fired up the engine.

 **Dining hall**

All the girls, even Aina and Tatiana, were present in the room. Ellie was roaming around nervously, until the last of them found a spot to sit.

"Ellie, tell us, what's the matter? You're very nervous," her best friend noted.

"I have to be a bit nervous to keep the edge. Especially when something like this is about us…" Ellie took a deep breath. "I received a call. Tomorrow, our whole unit is to fly over to the _Avrora_ test facility. The pre-emptive attack on the Neuroi home world will commence from there."

The eerie silence that befell the gathered in the room could be cut up into blocks and sold at .99c as a novelty item.

"T-T-T-Tomorrow already?" Marie asked with a shaking voice. "Oh my… I don't want it…"

The closest to her was Elizabeth, and she raked the shaking Gallian with one arm and said, "Sssshhh… Calm down, Marie, we'll make out something."

"I would just like to call my parents…" she answered sadly.

"Regretfully, we're under informational lockdown, ladies…" Ellie sighed. "All our communication is now under surveillance, and if we try to communicate with the outside about this, there will be repercussions. I just hope Toshiro and Kola can keep their mouths shut…"

"Hey, where's Grandpa by the way?" Aya asked.

"Our two hunks are now on a supply run."

"Oh crud, we totally forgot about it…" Katie mumbled. "Man, I'll have to thank them…"

"Just not too deeply," Alissa giggled. "Girls, just calm down, and go lie down in your beds, or take a walk outside. Getting nervous won't help you one bit, and you all need to be fit for tomorrow."

"Good idea," Ellie said. "Girls, listen to Alissa. We can't change anything, up to the moment we'll have to fight. And when that very moment comes upon us, then we give everything!"

"Yeah!" the girls cheered empowered by Ellie's words, with some minor exceptions.

"Now, want some tea or something?" Katie asked.

"Um, Ellie, I think we have an announcement…" Tatiana said shyly.

"Oh, yes, we do," Ellie smiled warmly.

The uninitiated looked at the two confused, but their confusion was quickly dispelled.

"Girls, you may or may not know, that Tatiana's only relatives are: a granduncle she never met, a grandmother that hates her, and one grandmother that does care about her. Now you can see that Tatiana is, de jure, an orphan. After thinking this through we, that is Tanya and I, decided to become one family through adoption."

"I'll have a Mommy now," Tatiana said proudly and hugged Ellie.

The girls took a few seconds to process it, but then they exploded in cheers and laughter.

 **Road between Lebyazhye and Kamyshin**

"There, good as new!" Toshiro patted the front-left wheel of the truck.

"I should have warned you about that ditch…" Kola sighed. "But I totally forgot…"

"Meh, don't sweat it. Only the tire was cut, we had a spare, and all the necessary tools needed to replace the whole thing. But do take over the steering wheel, kay? I have an awful feeling of déjà vu…"

"Yeah, sure," Kola smirked and climbed into the cabin of the truck.

Toshiro gathered up all the tools, stowed them where they belonged, and sat beside Kola in the warm space.

The Orussian ran the engine, and in a few minutes, they were already entering the city of Kamyshin.

"Well, this is Kamyshin," Kola said. "I've been the errand boy for quite a lot of time, so I know it in and out."

"Then haul us to the bakery first, maybe there's a snowball chance in hell that we'll get some bread."

"Oh don't you worry, Toshiro," Kola said reassuringly. "There's always something left for the military."

"Oh right, I forgot we're in a country that thinks of everything!" Toshiro said sarcastically.

After they stopped before the bakery, they entered the store and saw the clerk.

"Everything's sold," she grumbled at first, but then she started looking more carefully at them, especially at Toshiro. "Unless it's military business… Is it?" she asked suspicious.

"Uh well…" Toshiro said and showed her the permission slip from Ellie.

After a quick glance, the woman said, "You can't refuse the military… You have to help yourselves though; my helper has a back injury."

"Whatever works, ma'am," Toshiro said softly. "Just show us the way."

Her bored, mundane Slavic face suddenly flushed with slight redness, and she said, "Please, follow me…"

"You heard the lady," he said to Kola.

The two found themselves in the storage of the bakery after a few seconds, filled up with loafs of bread and rolls. They took the plastic crates that were stacked up inside, and loaded them with the specified amount of goods, under the careful and taxing eye of the clerk.

After stacking up the crates, Toshiro asked, "How much?"

"Five rubles and ten kopecks."

Toshiro quickly paid the woman, and asked, "Should we drive the crates back?"

"I hope! You still have some of my crates!" she huffed.

"Well, sorry, I wasn't informed," Toshiro said politely.

"Goodbye," she said coldly.

"Goodbye…" Toshiro muttered, and he exited the bakery with Kola. "Fucking hag. Oh wait; I wonder who would like to fuck her…?"

"The glorious communism has this effect on people," Kola shrugged as much as the crates allowed him. "What's our next stop?"

"Next, we have to get some veggies and fruit."

"I know just the place," Kola smiled.

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

The girls divided themselves into a few groups. The Karlslanders went for a walk outside, Katie holed herself up in Ellie's office with both her and Tatiana, and the rest played poker in the bedroom.

 **Runway**

"It really is a shame that shit had to hit the fan so fast…" Elsa muttered. "I still had a lot of stuff to do in life…"

"Like what? Sleeping through an atomic detonation?" Sieglinde asked sarcastically.

"No, I wanted to stay in the military and become an instructor just like Alissa," Elsa answered sternly. "With a heavy weapons specialization, heehee…"

"Now this is… almost perplexing…" Angela said quietly. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah. But now that you ask… If we win, the Neuroi won't be anymore, at least that's what I think. Therefore, in a world of peace, won't my role be somewhat pointless?"

"Herr Gott, Elsa getting deep…" Sieglinde sighed and ruffled the hair of her friend. "I never thought I would hear this, you know?"

"Heh… But I'll stop this topic now, okay? I think Toshiro would like to throw in his three pfennigs," Elsa smiled.

"Oh suuuuuuure he will…" Alissa snickered. "Let's do a few more rounds, this is a good occasion to relax."

 **Commander's office**

"The more I look at the two of you, the more I'm convinced that this is actually a good idea," Katie said quietly, looking at Tatiana napping on Ellie, who was sitting in the armchair. "But Elka, how could you not tell me about it immediately?"

"Sorry, but I was… I don't know, confused maybe? Or outright paranoid? As if telling it to too many persons would suddenly reveal it to the whole world or something…" Ellie answered apologetically.

"Come on; admit it – your KGB training is still rooted strong into you?" Katie smiled roguishly.

"Don't trust even your best friend, even if they're in the KGB? Maybe subconsciously, but really, I'm sorry I haven't told you. It really escaped my mind…"

"Okay, okay, I guess you didn't want to be a meanie," Katie smiled. "Tatiana is a real cutie when she sleeps like that… Who could think she's the world's deadliest assassin? I'll be sure to support you."

"Thank you… Thank you, Katie…"

 **Bedroom**

"You guys suck hard…" Elwyn sighed, throwing another winning hand on the table, and raking in the rest of the change they were betting."

"Oh fuck it…" Shinobu sighed deeply and walked away from the "table."

"Ditto…" Nami mumbled frustrated and followed her compatriot.

"I knew I shouldn't have done it…" Giulietta grumbled. "At least let me grope you as consolation!"

"And what law or custom would require that?!" Elwyn covered her chest. "Shoo!"

"Then how about tonight?" she whispered. "I know you like it," Giulietta smiled wryly.

"I do like it…" Elwyn flared up with redness on her face. "But I'm only doing this because I'm bored of doing myself…"

"Then what, deal?"

"Deal, tonight…" Elwyn mumbled. "Now pardon me, I have to store my plunder," she grinned and shoved in everything into her side cap.

On Marie's top bunk, Aina was giving a tarot reading under the fascinated looks of both Marie and Elizabeth.

"Aina, why didn't you use your cards before?" Marie asked.

"I'm kind of skeptical towards this whole tarot hubbub, so I don't bother with it, unless it's for fun." Aina explained, not breaking her concentration. "Marie, pick a card."

"M-Me?" The Gallian asked shyly.

"Yes," Aina replied calmly.

Marie closed her eyes, and picked one of the cards. When she opened her eyes, she saw a globe upside down.

"The World Reversed…" Aina pondered. "Marie, do you have any problems you want to talk about?"

"Nu-uh…" Marie shook her head while maintaining a straight face.

"I hope you're not lying…" Aina shrugged and plucked the card out of Marie's fingers. "How about you, Liz?"

"I don't know…" Elizabeth scratched her chin.

"Oh, what's going on?" Nami popped up at their side suddenly.

"Maybe you want to pull a card?" Aina asked.

"Why not!" the Fusojin cheered and pulled a card.

 **Before the main building**

Kola turned off the engine, after he positioned the truck only a few meters before the front door.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Now…" Toshiro said and flicked on his transponder. "Ladies, Daddy's back, and he needs your hands to unload the truck, and move all of it into the pantry."

"Clever…" Kola nodded whilst making a sturgeon face.

"Although, let's not be freeloaders that load off all the work on girls, and take a stack of our own, right?"

"Exercise is always welcome," he snickered, and both of them jumped out of the cabin, shutting the doors with a loud bang.

They waited just a few seconds, and the door opened wide, and was secured from closing by Aya and Nami. Sieglinde and Elsa stepped forward from behind them, and the former asked, "What's to be done?"

"We have a metric fuckton of food and other stuff to unload, so hop to it," Toshiro explained.

Sieglinde silently showed the side of the truck to Elsa, and the two unlatched the tailgate.

 _"_ _Now this is what I call organization,"_ Toshiro thought

Aya and Nami jumped onto the back of the truck and pushed a whole stack of goods onto Sieglinde's and Elsa's hands. As the two went inside, Aya asked, "Grandpa, come on, you want to help too, right?"

"Of course, dearie," Toshiro smiled and went to the tailgate. "Were you all behaving while I was gone?"

"Everything okay in my group," Aya responded.

"Nothing abnormal on my end!" Nami cheered.

"Well then, good job," he said and took a stack of crates.

"Miss me?" Kola asked.

"Of course," Aya smiled warmly and pushed a stack onto his hands.

"If this is the way you show your affection, I'm dumping you," Kola said with a deadpan face.

Aya giggled, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and said, "You'll get more at the usual time, now scoot, or you'll stall the rest."

"I think I'll be your fiancé just a bit longer," Kola laughed loudly and went inside.

 **Commander's office**

Tatiana opened her eyes and slowly looked around. The first thing she saw when she looked up was Ellie, who nodded off with her head leaned back a bit, and her mouth opened slightly.

 _"_ _Heehee… This is the first time I see Mommy sleeping… I slept quite a bit, but all those night flights stacked up, so no wonder…"_

She looked around, and saw Katie holding fort behind the desk. The Leh waved towards her with a smile, so Tatiana did the same. Then, she slowly crawled off Ellie, and walked up to Katie.

"I wonder why Mommy is sleeping…" she wondered.

"Huurrrgghh…" Katie shuddered. "It sounds weird when you call her that… But yeah, Ellie is sleeping because she still hasn't slept off one particular night. And she probably didn't want to wake you up, heheh…"

"Daaawwww…"

Both of them immediately noticed that the door started opening noiselessly, and then, Toshiro's face appeared. He looked at Ellie with a smile, and waved Katie in. She silently exited the room, and asked, "So, did you get everything?"

"Yup, everything to the last bit. Did I miss something funny?"

"Funny? No. But heartwarming? Ooooh yeaaaah… Tatiana was sleeping for a few hours on Ellie, so she in turn took a nap and left me in charge. The top assassin of the KGB sleeping in the middle of the day just like that…" Katie sighed. "But both of them are worth each other, and Tatiana is still a nine or ten year old girl at most inside. If the three of us land in one city, I'll be sure to visit them all the time."

"You're taking the fact that everything will be okay as granted, Katie. Don't you have any second thoughts?"

Katie smirked, put her left fist in the crook of her right arm, and tightened it around the fist. "This is all I have to say to the Neuroi, the KGB, or who-the-fuck-ever wants to stand in our way."

"Kozakiewicz would be proud!" Toshiro laughed. "Okay, I'll go to the girls, you command the unit or something."

"Have fun, Toshiro."

Toshiro made his way to the bedroom, and once just as he entered, Aina asked him, "Hey, Toshiro, want a tarot reading?"

He raised his eyebrow and asked, "And where is this coming from?"

"It seems the rest liked it," Aina gleamed. "So?"

"Even Eila didn't bother with it that much when I was around to be honest, but who knows what she did in her room…" he snickered.

"Okay, then come to my bed."

"Ooooo, Toshiro, you stud!" Shinobu laughed in a typical Sakamoto manner from her bunk. "Remember you're married!"

"Oh stoop…" Aina blushed. "What a perv…" she looked at Toshiro with hope in her eyes.

"I didn't tap your grandmother, I won't touch you," he shrugged. "Come on; show me what you learned from your ancestors."

"Kay!" she cheered and started shuffling the cards

Toshiro looked around, and he saw that the girls were all looking at him right now.

 _"_ _Damn they're curious…"_

"Okay, pick one," Aina said after a few seconds.

Toshiro picked the centermost card and gave it face forwards to Aina.

"Judgment Upright," she said neutrally. "You have to be careful with your decisions, Toshiro. Don't be too hasty when given a choice, but you will benefit spiritually in the coming time. And who knows, maybe you'll learn something new and unexpected?"

"You say?" Toshiro looked back at Alissa, only seeing her smiling mysteriously. "The coming time is indeed a time of weighty decisions… Well, we'll see the accuracy of your reading in the near future, Aina. Thanks for this little distraction."

"Oh, no problem, Toshiro," Aina smiled.

"I'm going to rest now," Toshiro dragged himself off Aina's bunk, and jumped onto his. "Anybody need anything from me right now?"

"Maybe I can ask something after dinner?" Marie asked.

"Of course you can, Marie," Toshiro said softly and laid down on his back. "Anyone else?"

"I guess everyone is waiting for after dinner." Alissa said.

"I have a feeling my throat will go sore…" Toshiro muttered.

"You're not quite off the mark," she snickered.

 ** _"_** ** _So, Livy, any extraneous conditions that affected that card I chose?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _None at all, Master. You have picked the card of your own free will, and they haven't been altered in any supernatural way."_**

 ** _"_** ** _How nice… So, care to tell me what vast and unprecedented knowledge awaits me in the future?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Ummm… You will learn… stuff, Master…"_**

 ** _"_** **Stuff** ** _you say… You know, I'm glad that you're trying to behave_** **mortal-like** ** _, but that weird godly manner of not saying shit pisses me off to high heaven…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I'm sorry, Master, but I can't…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You_** **can't** ** _or you_** **won't** ** _tell me? There's a fundamental difference here."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I want to tell you everything, Master, but… certain parties want to hold out on that knowledge until it's time…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Uhuh, certain parties my foot. Ugh, I wish I was your partner or something, so I could just tell you to tell me… Or order you… Ehhhh…"_**

He saw the world going monochromatic in an instant, but before he could move a muscle, Livy appeared, straddling on his loin. Tears started slowly trickling down her cheeks as she looked sadly at him.

"Livy, why are you crying?" Toshiro asked, partially confused, partially guilty. "If it's something I said…"

He couldn't end his sentence, because she quickly pinned him down to the bed in a tender embrace. Livy was quietly sobbing, as _Alissa_ hovered up to their side.

"Kye, I don't understand a thing from Livy's behavior, not one bit…"

"Right now, just be with her, okay?" she explained calmly.

"This really is beyond my comprehension… She's supposed to be the partner of the Allgod, and yet, she's all clingy and emotional towards me, a guy that's just his Champion… Not to mention our status is universes apart…"

"You don't have to understand everything, Toshiro; I made it clear many times. Just do what your guts tell you."

He pondered on a few seconds, and slowly he said, "I hope you're not messing with me right now, because my guts tell me to…"

Livy stopped sobbing instantaneously and stiffened up. She slowly rose her head, and looked Toshiro in the eyes.

"M-Master…"

"Oh shut up…" he sighed and kissed her straight on the lips.

Livy lied down flat on him, without a sign of struggle, and let things flow their own way. After a moment, she slowly separated herself from Toshiro's lips and said, "Thank you, Master… Thank you for trusting me…"

"Yoshika will brew me up a storm for this, but… I see that you're at least happy," he looked at Livy, who was now smiling at him gladly. "Now, let me go back to my _world_ , okay?"

"Of course, Master. Have a nice day," she said and the time flow returned to normal.

"Hey, Toshiro, I have an idea!" Angela shouted.

"What is it?"

The Karlslander smiled mischievously and said, "Poker, but not the ordinary kind…"

"Weeeeeeeell… If you're prepared, I'll bite."

"Graaaandpaaa…" Aya moaned. "I do hope you won't cheat?"

"Of course not," he smirked.

* * *

An hour later, Toshiro laid down another winning hand on the table. He looked at the three playing with him with a roguish smile plastered to his face, and said, "I guess this was the last hand before dinner, ladies. Well, either that, or you have to drop your panties."

"Uh… No… I think I'll pass…" Angela mumbled, butt naked with the exception of her panties, covering her breasts with her right arm.

"Fuck no," Katie said with a stern face, in the same situation as the Karlslander.

"This wasn't a game, it was a one-sided beating," Elwyn sighed. "Well played, Toshiro. But one thing is on my mind…"

"If it's about cheating, Grandpa is clean," Aya said. "I watched him very carefully."

"Ah, okay… But you know what? Fuck this shit," Elwyn said, and stood up, with her hands on the side of her body, clad only in her panties. "Now, how's the view?"

"I imagined the rest," Toshiro snickered. "But you have nice areolas, Elwyn, very small compared to the overall size of your boobs."

"Ah, thanks…" she blushed. "I think I heard that compliment before, but I can't pinpoint who it was…"

"Anyway…" Angela interrupted. "Can we please get our clothes back?"

"Pretty please?" Katie added. "Aside from the humiliation, it's a bit cold to sit with only our snatches clothed, so…"

"Yeah, yeah, you can have them back," he answered. "I'll go to the dining hall and see what's cooking. You don't want to be observed while getting dressed, right?"

"Kinda," Katie answered with slightly red cheeks.

"Damn Shinobu and Giulietta weaseled themselves out with cooking…" Angela muttered sourly as Toshiro was walking out of the room.

Once he did, Aya said, "You know, you all could have just stopped once you've gotten down to your lingerie…"

"This was about honor, Aya," Katie said while putting on her bra.

"Which you lost completely," Tatiana mused. "I wonder what Mom would say about his game…?"

"Oh she would approve, but if she took part, she would bail at the moment Aya noted," Katie explained. "She's too smart for this. Tell me, Elwyn, why did we agree to go almost all out again?"

"Gamblers curse," Elwyn sighed, making her enormous breasts jiggle. "Hooo, good that Giulietta is absent now, she would probably slobber the whole floor wet."

Angela furled her eyebrows and said, "She wouldn't get in a two meter radius of my rack."

"I don't know… She was actually gentle back then…" Katie pondered. "Anyway, girls, let's clean up this mess and go eat some dinner."

 **Kitchen**

"Well, we're on the final straight, we might as well start calling in the rest," Shinobu said with pride. "Giulietta, you didn't try to grope me even once, are you sick?"

"I have my mind connected to the rest of my body; you know…" she grumbled. "You don't have those cleavers of yours with you now, but there's enough kitchen equipment for you to skin me alive if you get pissed off by my shenanigans…"

"Uh well, you're right in thinking I would be pissed off," Shinobu answered. "But come on, I would only pound you into submission with my fists, no weapons needed."

"Heh, sounds almost reassuring," Giulietta started giggling.

"How good to know you're somewhat similar to Mio," Toshiro popped up behind the kitchen counter. "She would give you hell, but she wouldn't use a sword to hurt anybody."

"Mio taught those principles to Sasami, and Mom passed them on to me," Shinobu smiled. "Is the rest coming after you?"

"I think they will right after everybody is ready."

"Oh, who won?" Giulietta asked impatiently, and after Toshiro smiled wryly, she said, "Hooohooo… I wish I was there… Elwyn's boobs are so soft and nice to look at…"

"Stop daydreaming," Shinobu said swiftly. "I hope you didn't do anything immoral, Toshiro?"

"I had too many witnesses to even try anything, but I let them keep their panties."

"At least something," she shrugged. "Take a seat at the table, dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Aye aye!" Toshiro mock saluted and disappeared from their eyes.

"Toshiro's fun," Giulietta smiled. "A bigger perv than me, but fun."

"Mio told me that this is the one man on the whole world I can trust completely in any given situation and under any circumstances," Shinobu said melancholically. "My father would abandon me sooner than he would."

"Isn't that a bit harsh to say?"

"The difference between my father and Toshiro is that the latter has enough means to do almost everything. My father is a corporate worker, a normal guy who loves his family, but is tied down to work, like almost every Fusojin. He has limited means of helping me, if for example, a Neuroi attacks, or the army wants something, or if we would stand on edge of poverty. That's why I always loved Toshiro, despite him being married since I was even born into this world – he wouldn't pull any punches if his friends or family are in need. And he's a hunk…"

"Still, sounds a bit weird, if you look at it from the sentimental and traditional angle of parental figures…" Giulietta pondered. "But I've come to the inevitable conclusion that you do love your father nevertheless."

"You're talking so smart…" Shinobu squinted her eyes. "Who are you, and where's the boob devil?"

"Ah, whoops, heheh, I went a bit too far with my thinking. Well, if you want to know, my IQ is 145, and I was educated in private schools. But my Grandma was around that, and we all too well know how she behaved…"

"It's because she was a snot, Giulietta," Shinobu said. "When I saw her on that chance reunion, she had the same lewd spark in her eyes as you sometimes have, but she behaved like a normal woman. Now, you are behaving more adult than I would give you credit."

"I wonder what our mothers or grandmothers would say if they saw this…?" Giulietta giggled.

"They would probably grab a cross or prayer beads and make us repent!" Shinobu's laugh thundered around the kitchen.

Giulietta also joined her in the laughing, and Toshiro only smirked under his nose as he was sitting before the TV and listening to the afternoon news on the ZDF.

* * *

A bit later, the girls wandered in, and dinner was served. After a peaceful meal, Aya suddenly came up to Ellie and whispered something into her ear. She in turn smiled and nodded.

"Grandpa, let's go to the office now."

"Huh? What's the matter? News about tomorrow or something?" Toshiro asked surprised.

Aya smirked and said, "We're opening a branch of the Von Edelweiss Life Consulting Ltd."

"Oh do we?" he raised an eyebrow. "You little conspirator you… But I guess it's necessary now, so the girls can catch some sleep before tomorrow…" he sighed. "Okay, did you _explain_ to the rest how this works?"

"Yup, in detail," Aya smiled. "First one up is Marie," she looked at the Gallian. "Come on."

"Oh, okay," she nodded and stood up.

"Just don't try to eaves… Wait a second…" he looked at Tatiana.

She almost jumped off her chair and shouted, "I promise on my life that I won't listen, I swear!"

Toshiro chuckled and said, "Well, good enough I suppose. I guess any form of training is off the grid thanks to this _unforeseen_ event?"

"Unforeseen for you," Alissa smirked. "Yeah, training is canceled, it wouldn't help anyway. Today we all rest and get all the big weights off our hearts."

"Well then, I'm off with my dear… assistant?" he looked at Aya with a questioning look.

"I'll be the missing link between the unit's girls and you, Grandpa," she explained.

"Sounds fair," he shrugged.

* * *

 **Katie's gesture is what is called a bras d'honneur. Look up "Kozakiewicz's gesture" for the context.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	51. Chapter 51 – VELC Ltd

Chapter 51 – V.E.L.C. Ltd.

* * *

 **Commander's office**

 **Von Edelweiss Life Consulting Ltd.**

 **Lebyazhye Air Base Temporary Branch Office**

Toshiro and Aya quickly rearranged the seating, so that Marie had the armchair for herself, Aya sat on Ellie's chair, and Toshiro took the chair that was left.

"So, Marie, what's on your mind?" Toshiro asked.

"Umm… Before I start… I have a request…" Marie said the last part almost inaudibly with her head hung down.

"Oh, what is it?" Aya asked.

"It's more to Toshiro, sorry…"

"Fire away," he said.

Marie raised her head and said, "I would like to… call my parents…"

Toshiro went silent for a few seconds, and then he replied, "Scared of tomorrow?"

"Uhum…" Marie nodded shyly. "And I was told there's some blackout or something…"

"Yes, the commies will try to bounce any of our calls… But don't worry, what do you have me for?" he snickered and walked to the desk.

Toshiro sat on the top of it, and took the receiver of the phone. Hearing the continuous sound, he dialed zero, and after a few seconds, a monotone young female voice said, "We're sorry, but the call cannot be…"

"Don't give me that bullshit, young lady," Toshiro interrupted gruffly.

"S-Sir? I must insist that your call should be interrupted," the telephonist replied firmly.

"I told you, don't give me that crap. I need to make a private call to Gallia; one of my friends wants to call her parents."

"But…"

"Do you even know who you're talking to?" Toshiro swiftly interrupted her protests.

"N-No…"

"Toshiro von Edelweiss and I will judge if it's pleasant to meet you," he said coldly.

"Oh my… S-Sir, please, I have to contact my superiors!" she panicked.

"Grandpa, aren't you a bit rude?" Aya asked as he was waiting.

"Don't jump the gun, Aya," he winked and barely visibly nodded towards Marie.

Aya looked at her, and saw that she leaned forward on her armchair, with her hands joined as if she was praying. The Karlslander smiled slightly and relaxed.

"Sir, are you there?" Toshiro heard from the receiver.

"Yeah."

"The higher ups have agreed to your request, sir. I am however obliged to tell you that any talks about the current situation are strictly forbidden, and that the connection may be interrupted at any time."

"Try that, and you'll know what under the table deals work," Toshiro said coldly once again.

"Y-Y-Yes sir! P-Phone number please!"

"Second," he covered the receiver with his hand. "Marie, phone number and the names of your parents."

"Oh!" she snapped out of her blind admiration. "(7) 089 42 71! And my parents' names are Antoinette and René."

"Thanks," he smiled and repeated the phone number to the telephonist, "Be there after my friend finishes talking."

"Of course sir…" she answered sorrowfully. "Connecting you now…"

After a series of crackles and tones, a soft female voice asked, " _Allô_?"

"Good morning, ma'am," Toshiro said politely.

"Oh? Who is this calling? Do we know each other?" the woman asked truly curious.

"My name is of no importance right now, ma'am, but I do have somebody…" Toshiro waved in Marie, who shot out of the armchair like a ballistic missile. "…that would like to talk with you."

Marie grabbed the receiver and shouted, " _Maman_!"

She continued talking to her mother in Gallian, alternating between moods often.

"I wonder if she knows that I know Gallian…" Toshiro said quietly to Aya.

"That's unfair, Grandpa…" Aya frowned. "I want to learn it too…"

"You have the capabilities, you'll, hopefully, have the time," he smiled.

"Heheh… What are they talking about anyway?"

"Can't you bring it out from the emotions and the context? What would you talk about with Akiko, if the next day could be your last?"

"Ah, well… Let's leave that unspoken," Aya winked.

After a few more minutes, Marie stopped her conversation, and with a face wet from tears, but smiling from joy, she waved in Toshiro. As he approached, she dropped the receiver on the desk, and hugged him deeply in the waist.

"Dawww, how cute," Toshiro said and picked up the receiver. "Hello, are you there?"

"Y-Yeeees?" the scared telephonist asked.

"I'm terribly sorry for behaving like that, but what life taught me, is to play hard with you guys, and abuse my rank and fame for the greater good. Have a nice day, miss."

"Oh… T-Thank you sir… Was the conversation helpful?"

"It was. Bye now!"

"Goodbye sir," she answered in a way that he almost felt the relief she felt.

Toshiro looked at Aya, and she both shook her head and smiled. He looked down at Marie, who was still hugging him, and asked, "Was that all you wanted, Marie?"

"Actually… Yes, I think yes…" she answered.

"I usually ask a few questions, you know. Care to answer?"

"Uhhh… Sure, why not," she pranced on to her sitting place and made herself comfortable.

"Oh, Grandpa, can I ask?" Aya's eyes started sparking.

Toshiro giggled and said, "Yeah, whatever."

"Yay!" Aya cheered. "So, Marie, what are your plans for the future?"

"You mean if we eventually win tomorrow?"

"Don't be such a defeatist," Toshiro said. "We can do anything if we work towards a common goal together."

"Um… Maybe you're right… But to answer your question, I want to devote myself to taking care of my sister."

"Your sister?" Toshiro asked.

"Marie's autistic sister, Giselle, had an accident which resulted in her being bound to a wheelchair, for which Marie blames herself a bit I think…" Aya explained.

"I totally forgot she's how she is back then…" Marie sighed deeply. "If I was the one that went for the ball, maybe nothing would have happened."

"My…" Toshiro nodded. "That's awfully altruistic of you, Marie, but what about your personal development? This may sound wrong, but Giselle could be under care of a nurse or somebody, and you could go and finish your education, get a job, et cetera."

"I know, Toshiro…" Marie bit her lower lip. "But public healthcare nurses can only come so much hours per week, and leaving mother alone with Giselle feels wrong for me… And… Well, we're not that rich to afford professional care from a private nurse…"

"If it's about money, I can help," Toshiro said firmly. "Send me an estimate after the war, and I can pay for all the years you need to find a profitable job."

"B-But Toshiro…" Marie's eyes widened considerably.

"Marie…" he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I have so much money from interests that I don't even know what to do with it. If I pay even a hundred thousand Francs, that won't put a dent in my personal wealth."

"Just how much…"

"Won't tell," he winked. "Actually, don't bother with an estimate, I'll just send you half a million francs, just call me and give me an account number."

Marie's jaw dropped and she looked blankly at Aya.

"You're not dreaming," Aya giggled. "What's the magic word?"

"Thank… you…" Marie mumbled and stood up. "Thank… you…"

"Should we let her go?" Toshiro asked.

"I think she might be fine," Aya answered. "Marie, get the next person in."

"Kay…" Marie mumbled as she slowly walked towards the door, opened it, and walked out into the corridor.

"Grandpa, just how much money do you have exactly?" Aya asked quietly.

"Half a billion dollars in gold, ten times that in cash," Toshiro sneered.

Aya's jaw dropped, and now she started mumbling just like Marie. "Billions… My Grandpa… A billionaire…"

He flicked her forehead with his fingers and said, "Don't tell anybody, not even Yoshika."

"How?" she asked.

"I used my knowledge, some mathematics, a bit of help from Yuki, and I managed to scrap together all that money on various stock markets and through legitimate investments."

"What will you do with such a mountain of cash, Grandpa?"

"Ten percent will go to my inheritors; the rest will be deposited into a foundation under control of… hmm… Aya, would you take care of it after I kick the bucket?"

"You mean… Errr…. You mean watch over almost five billions of dollars and decide who needs them?" Aya asked surprised.

"More or less. But take inflation into account, and the fact that you will be doing it for free."

"Um, Grandpa, you'll leave me so much cash that my great grandchildren won't have to lift a finger…" Aya noted sourly.

Toshiro snickered and asked, "But will you do it?"

"Sure I will," she said warmly.

"Then I'll have to change my will accordingly," Toshiro said. "Ah, I hear footsteps, another client."

"Taking care of everything, one girl at a time," Aya giggled.

Knocking on the doorframe, Elizabeth asked, "Can I come in?"

"Of course!" Aya cheered and pointed to the armchair. "Have a seat."

"Thanks," Elizabeth said and took her place. "What in bloody hell did you two do to Marie? She looks like she saw the ghosts of the Gallian Revolution," she giggled briefly.

"Ah, Grandpa just resolved one of her problems with a proverbial flick of the wrist, nothing to worry about," Aya shrugged.

"But now you're more important, Elizabeth," Toshiro said.

"Oh, do call me Liz, it's easier to pronounce."

"I have no problems with pronouncing anything, Liz," Toshiro smirked. "But yeah, Liz has nice and rebellious sound to it."

"And that's precisely why I like being called Liz. Well, I let Katie call me Lily, cuz she's my Cous," she giggled yet again.

"You sure aren't all stiff upper lip and all of that," Toshiro noted.

"Nah, and Grandma wasn't like that either, right?"

"She was well behaved, polite, and helpful, but yeah, not pompous or anything. You on the other hand seem a bit on the wild side, but still in line."

"Blame my father," Elizabeth shrugged. "And that accident, ugh… Shit, it took so long to recover my memories…"

Toshiro looked at Aya, and she almost screamed, "Don't bother" with her eyes, so he asked, "How about tomorrow, Liz? Feel okay?"

"Give me that gun you brought, a pouch load of ammo, and enough nitrous to cool it down, and I can rush into combat!"

"Oooh, very enthusiastic…" Toshiro said. "Good, I'll provide you with those supplies, but you have to tell me what you're planning for your future."

"My future?" she asked surprised. "Pfffff… Hmmmmm… For now, I think I'll continue the family tradition of becoming a good housewife, but maybe I'll think it through."

"Hey, the world needs good wives," Toshiro shrugged. "Take Yoshika for example. If she weren't so great, I can't imagine how our kids would turn up."

"How many?" Elizabeth asked.

"Mom, an aunt, and an uncle," Aya smiled. "That's the generation of Edelweissen directly before me. Grandma sure had a stroke of luck…"

"Hey, don't diminish my role here!" Toshiro protested.

"Yes, yes, Grandpa, you had your role in it," Aya laughed.

"You two are the best, almost like father and daughter," Elizabeth chuckled.

"You can't spell "granddaughter" without "daughter,"" Toshiro laughed quietly. "Okay, you can run off if you want. This was fun a nice talk we had here."

"Indeed," Elizabeth nodded and jumped out of the armchair. "I'll go bother Katie or something."

As the Britannian exited the room, Aya asked, "Grandma must be a saint to put up with you…"

"I'm a big baby like sometimes, but I'm fairly normal at most times," Toshiro said. "You can ask Yoshika all day if you want, maybe she'll tell you her life story from her perspective."

"I must do that," Aya nodded. "Oh, footsteps already? Somebody's eager."

Nami peaked into the room and shouted, "Hiya!"

"Come in!" Toshiro replied in kind and pointed out at the armchair.

She dropped into it and asked, "Elizabeth was smiling like never, what did you do to her?"

"Ah, we just had a nice and honest talk," Aya shrugged.

"But now, let's return to you, Nami," Toshiro said. "So, how are you feeling about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? I trust you two and Alissa completely, but I'm also preparing myself mentally for a hard battle. If we go up shit creek, we better have a paddle!"

"True that!" Toshiro laughed. "And if we win, what do you intend to do in life?"

Nami rolled her eyes and said, "Dunno, really. I haven't really thought about my future. I always had a cozy job in the military, and you know I'm a trifler, right?"

"Yeah…" Toshiro muttered while eying her from top to bottom. "Undress yourself to your underwear, Nami."

"Wha?!" both Aya and Nami shouted surprised at the same time.

"Grandpa, I know you're a perv, but aren't you taking this a bit too far?"

"It's for job assessment purposes, trust me," Toshiro answered seriously.

"Now that's the weirdest way to ask a girl to undress," Nami giggled. "Okay, give me a sec… But turn around, okay? Don't want to get your blood pumping, heehee…"

"Yeah, okay," Toshiro smirked and turned around.

"What are you trying to pull off, Grandpa?" Aya whispered.

"As always, trust me, my dear granddaughter."

"As always, whatever now…" she sighed.

After a minute, Nami said, "Okay, done," and Toshiro turned around, seeing her standing sitting in the armchair, with her legs crossed in a confident pose.

"Yup, that's all I needed to know, you can put your clothes back on," Toshiro nodded.

"Woah, that was fast!" Nami shouted. "What did that prove?"

"That you're confident enough with your splendid body, Nami. You also have a beautiful face, so I have this proposition – why not become a gravure model?"

"Huh, really?" Nami blushed.

"Yeah, duh! You're also damn tall! With a meter eighty, and such natural knockers, you're like a unicorn!" Toshiro laughed out loud. "Aya, tell her – is she not fit to become a gravure model?"

"Well, Nami does look hot, I have to admit…" Aya pondered. "Grandpa is actually right, you should try, Nami."

"Now, hearing this from you makes me super confident!" Nami cheered, stood up, and made a turn on her heel. "Was that good?"

"10/10 would bang," Toshiro flicked both of his thumbs up.

"Ahahahaha!" Nami laughed heartily. "Okaaay! I'll take up this challenge!"

"Just don't veer off towards the naughty business, or Mami and Manami will rip your head off," Toshiro smirked.

"Eheheh…" Nami's laugh dried up a bit. "Well, Grandpa and Ma would definitely slap me silly if I tried to do some nudes… Although I think some artistic nudes wouldn't be excluded, riiiight?" she slowly started lowering the strap of her bra.

"Let's stop at lingerie for now," Aya grabbed her hand.

"I think our job is done with Nami, don't you think, Aya?" Toshiro asked.

"Um, yeah, I think so… You feel better, Nami?"

"Better than ever, Aya!" she cheered and ran up to Toshiro, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Let's call this payment, heehee…"

Toshiro patted her on the head and said, "And this is your change."

"Dawww… I remembered something… Back when I was leaving for Fuso after the exchange ended… Remember that?" Nami asked.

"You started crying like a beaver because you were leaving, but I patted you on the head and said that we're connected under the same sky… Yoshika said that to Lynne, Perrine, Mio, and me, when the first two visited us in Fuso once."

"Spot on," Aya smiled.

Nami also smiled and added, "The sky which connects us is always blue, despite the clouds covering it at times. I hope we will be able to clear them soon."

"Either that, or we won't be able to admire them anyway," Toshiro shrugged. "Okay, you can go if you want."

"Kay, going!" Nami cheered and ran off with her clothes.

"Now this will look weird…" Aya muttered.

"Tell me…"

"But yeah, Nami could really be a successful model, that's for sure. You sure have the brightest ideas, Grandpa."

"Not always, but with this one, I probably struck gold. I wonder if Yoshika won't pulverize me if I start collecting Nami's pics once she becomes famous…" Toshiro scratched his head.

"Grandma is surprisingly tolerant to all of your shenanigans, Grandpa," Aya giggled. "This will be harmless compared to the rest."

"Yeaaaaah… And I can hear our next customer already."

"I would recognize those footsteps everywhere," Aya smiled. "Shino, come on!"

When Shinobu entered through the doorway and closed the door, she said, "You sure have good radars on your head, Aya."

"You haven't changed the way you're walking since Karlsland," Aya giggled in return.

"Ah, Karlsland…" Shinobu sighed and looked at the armchair. "I sit there?"

"Yeah," Toshiro confirmed.

Once Shinobu sat, she asked, "Why the hell was Nami almost naked?"

"Grandpa _assessed_ a new job for her," Aya rolled her eyes.

"Oh did you, Toshiro?" Shinobu raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but if you want info, ask Nami," he replied.

"Ah, okay… So, what do you want to know?"

"How do you feel about tomorrow?" Toshiro asked.

Shinobu made herself comfortable and said, "I thought you would ask that. My answer is rather simple, to be honest – I predict an all-out battle. I will give everything, and Nagareboshi will shine like never. But in the event of my imminent failure…" her face went gloom. "Masakuni will taste my blood…"

Aya gasped and asked, "Shino, do you plan to… Err…"

"Call it by the name and how it is, Aya – _seppuku_. I'm still deciding if in case of my near death, if I should try to go out with a bang, or just cut my own head off."

"A little bit too grim for me," Toshiro muttered. "But I guess Mio put that into your head?"

"Yeah, Grandma was the one to tell me about it. However… I don't think I'll actually do it. If the battle will be as big as I think it will, a single Neuroi attack on my unshielded body should put me out of my misery…"

"Shino, why are you talking like that? D-Don't you want to live?" Aya's voice was trembling.

"A warrior's fate is to ultimately die in battle, Aya. My privilege is to make my death have a meaning, and to die on my own terms," Shinobu said with a cold voice. "But! Before that, I will give everything and then some, so don't worry about me," she added with a warm smile.

"Aaaaaah… Well, I thought you were in a suicidal mood or something…" Aya said. "Whew…"

"My future is too bright to cover it with the dark veil of suicide, Aya," Shinobu said.

"Still want to be the best _kendoka_ in the world, huh?" Toshiro asked. "I still remember how you were bragging to me how high rank you will obtain, and what you will do and so on."

"Well…" Shinobu blushed. "I had a crush on you, and you were such a good listener…"

"Be aware that I was listening very well. You have a very clear image of your own future, and that's commendable. Although, you should ask your family for more support, don't be such a sourpuss toward Kaede."

"Oh, no no, Kaede has become more supportive towards me in the last years. But back then, yeah, we were a bit cats and dogs…" Shinobu giggled. "I guess that's natural."

"Do fucking tell, I had two daughters and a son. I know how shit can go down between siblings of the same age, and I can't imagine what would happen if one of them were a year older," Toshiro shook his head.

"You did a good job though. Aya's mom was so nice towards me…" Shinobu said in a melancholic tone. "Toshiro, can we do a revisit after the war, but this time in a slightly bigger company?"

"How much bigger?"

"I would bring Mio, Sasami, and Kaede with me, and I would tell Nami to take the respective family members of her own."

"Now that would be something!" Aya cheered. "Grandpa, can we?!"

"Yeah, why not. We just have to avert the Apocalypse, and we're in the clear, hahahahaha!"

"There's nothing a witch can do!" Shinobu cheered. "Bring it on, Xadeus!"

After all of them had their laughs, Aya asked, "So, how do you feel now, Shino?"

"Splendid! I'll go and drag in the next one. Thanks for everything and…" she looked at Toshiro and blushed heavily.

"And what?" he asked. "Nami gave me a kiss, you know…"

"A k-k-k-kiss?! I can't be worse, damn it!" Shinobu shouted and sucked herself up to Toshiro's lips for a few seconds. "Wow… I did it! I actually kissed you! Woohoo!" she cheered and ran out of the room.

"Now everyone leaving this room will be behaving like a total loon…" Aya grumbled. "Good job, Grandpa…"

"Hey, I'm just pleasing the girls…" he rebuked. "Five bucks say the next one is Aina."

"Ten that it's Angela."

"Deal!"

"But you didn't cheat, right?" Aya asked quickly.

"Yuki?" Toshiro looked towards the ceiling.

"Why look at the ceiling, bub? I'm not Kye…" she sighed. "No, he didn't cheat," Yuki explained. "At least I think so, because I can't detect his Celestial Whatever if he decides to hide it…"

"Well then, let's see…" Aya squinted her eyes and looked at the doorway.

The steps were getting closer, but just as the person that walked down the corridor was to enter, she fell down on the floor flat, visible to the two.

Toshiro wanted to shoot out of his chair, but he remembered something. "It's her _thing_ , right?"

"Yup, narcolepsy at it's worst," Aya sighed. "And she was so lively lately… I'll go get her."

"No, I'll go get her, I'm the man here, and the men do the heavy lifting."

Aya giggled and said, "I hope she didn't hear that you called her heavy."

Toshiro took Aina from the corridor, closed the door, and dragged her onto the armchair.

"How do I wake her up?" he asked.

"You can try various things, but please don't try to spray her with cold water," Aya said sternly.

"She'll melt or something?" he smirked.

"Nah, she has a traumatic experience regarding cold water…"

"Oh… I didn't know… Sorry, Aina," he said to the still sleeping Suomi.

"No problem…" she smiled and opened her eyes. "Had you there, huh?"

"Hey, I really thought you were sleeping!" Aya nudged her on the shoulder lightly.

"Oh no, I was asleep right to the point when Toshiro took me on his arms. I just used the occasion to have a free ride," she giggled.

"Do you feel lucky, punk?" Toshiro asked her suddenly.

Aina stopped giggling, but she burst out in laughter instead.

"I don't get it…" Aya mumbled.

"That's a quote from a movie," Toshiro explained. "I made a lucky guess that she's carrying that hand cannon of hers only because of it."

"Oooooh… Ah, I know which now!" Aya cheered.

"No, no, the firepower is also nice," Aina said. "Do you like movies, Toshiro?"

"Yeah, when I have the time, I either go to the cinema or buy a tape with a movie. Yoshika likes sappy movies," Toshiro snickered.

"Mmmm… I prefer Liberian action movies. Rambo was soooooooo coooool! Oh, and Conan the Barbarian, Sieglinde also loved it!" Aina started unwinding. "Oh and the Evil Dead was nice in 81! And…"

"Okay, okaaaaaay…" Toshiro put his hand on her head. "I get it – you love movies. But now tell me how do you feel about tomorrow?"

"Uhhhh… I feel a bit murky, since my magic is crap in the offensive, buuut… Well, I do have a gun, so I'll help as much as I can," she said calmly. "That PKMSN isn't something to shrug off."

"Well definitely not," Toshiro smiled.

"Hey, Aina, I never asked you this, but do you have any plans for the future?" Aya asked.

"Oh… Um… I kinda want to become a movie director…" the Suomi blushed after her shy utterance.

"Not an actress?" Toshiro wondered. "You're pretty enough to try that."

"T-Thanks…" she stuttered with her cheeks even redder. "But with my ailment, it would be a bit difficult… A sleeping director is nothing unusual, but an actor has to be vigilant on the set."

"I see… Maybe I could find some specialist…" Toshiro pondered. "Yeeeeaaaah… Just give me some time, and I'll find you a doctor that will undertake healing your condition. Of course you won't have to pay a crooked penny."

"G-Geeez…" Aina flared up with unprecedented redness. "You're too kind to me… This is too much for somebody of my origin… Wheeew…" she pulled her collar. "Um…"

"Breaaaaaathe…" Aya said. "Slooooowly…"

"Come on, run away now," Toshiro said, and Aina immediately used the occasion to scoot away quickly.

"Grandpa, aren't you a bit too… beneficial for the girls?" Aya asked suspicious. "No ulterior motives?"

"None at all, Aya. I have money, and I have connections, which I want to use to _do good_. And if you think I'm doing this because I'm hoping for some action… Well… You're an Edelweiss!" Toshiro burst out in laughter.

Aya started snickering too, but then she said, "You won the bet by the way, Grandpa."

"Nah, keep that money, you're not stinking rich yet."

"Oh, heh, thanks," she smiled slightly. "So the next one is probably Tatiana?"

"Well… Tatiana, if you're listening to us, you're a bad girl." Toshiro said.

After a bit, Tatiana appeared in the doorway, red as a beat, and playing with her fingers shyly.

"I o-only listened to you after Aina exited… R-Really…"

"Promise?" Toshiro asked.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Well, I don't think I have any grounds to not believe you. Right, Aya?"

"Nooooo, Tatiana is a very honest girl. Maybe beside that _little_ secret she had," Aya snickered. "Have a seat."

Tatiana quickly ran over to the armchair and placed herself deep in it.

"Hey, you have a rather funky pistol there," Toshiro noticed. "May I see it?"

"M'kay," Tatiana handed it over to Toshiro.

"Hooohooo, a VAG-73!" Toshiro mused in wonder, looking at it from every angle. "Might I know why such a peculiar choice of armament?"

"The capacity and lack of casings," Tatiana said.

Toshiro looked at it further, and saw that the barrel had external threads.

"That little cylindrical lump under the holster is a silencer compartment?" he asked.

"Damn, you're perceptive…" Tatiana muttered, and she handed over a twenty-centimeter long object to Toshiro.

He screwed it onto the barrel, and looked down the sights, aiming at the desk.

"Sweet. So, Tatiana, tomorrow? Any hunches on what could happen?"

"If there's a big battle, I will try and help everyone, but especially Mom. I can't afford to lose her before she's even legally my mother…"

"You sure have the means to protect her," Aya said. "I like that missile launcher of yours."

"It's not foolproof, Aya, and I can only carry one spare canister on my back, so I have to rely on my AK more."

"Damn, if only you said this earlier, I would give you my MG3…" Toshiro muttered. "I guess you're not accustomed to a gun like that?"

"No, I'm trained in more… hand weaponry…"

Toshiro slid out the mag in Tatiana's pistol, and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Tatiana? Etherite tips?"

"I was a killer after all…" she sighed. "I had to use every edge I got…"

"I really do hope you regret everything…" he looked at her viciously.

"Yes… Yes, now I regret every person I killed, except for those that really deserved it. I especially regret killing one person… A Liberian witch, a dissident holed up in Hispania. Turned out she was pregnant…"

Aya sat on the beside Tatiana and embraced her with one arm, seeing as she slowly started _falling apart_.

"You don't have to dwell on this, Tatiana. You had to do it, because that was what you were ordered to do. Yes, this sounds awfully cynical coming from my mouth, but that's the truth. People are foremost egoists, and if you would refuse the kill, you would be killed, and that would be against your will of survival. And it's good that you feel remorse, because that shows that you are a good person after all, reinforcing the thesis that you were forced to kill against your own will," Aya said slowly and warmly.

Tatiana looked at Aya with her big eyes and tucked her face into her chest, sobbing quietly. Aya looked at Toshiro, and they both smiled.

 _"_ _Becoming a child soldier and an assassin at young age… Yuki, this world is so wrong sometimes…"_

 _"_ _I know, Toshiro, I know… At least it's evolving slowly in a better direction… If you were thrown back in time two hundred years, to say… Liberion, you would probably pop a vein with your character."_

 _"_ _Like fuck I would. I would be holier than the Pope, heh…"_

Once Tatiana calmed down a bit, he asked, "How about the future, Tatiana, any plans?"

"Oh, the future? Maybe if everything goes well… Maybe I should go into the footsteps of my Grandma?"

"Singing? You think you can do it?"

"Before I killed my, ahem, _father,_ I was playing the piano for a few years… But I just started singing half a year before that, and I only practiced scarcely since that _accident_."

"Then go for it!" Aya cheered. "Grandpa, you should hook Tatiana up with somebody musically gifted, you know?"

"Sanya and Minna would probably enable her to polish her skill… Yeah, very good idea, Aya. What say you, Tatiana?"

"Lessons from two famous opera diva's? Oh my… Oooooooh myyyyy…" Tatiana grabbed her cheeks. "I must be dreaming!"

"That's a rather pleasant dream," Toshiro smiled. "I'll try to make it come true, but you'll have to put your back into it, Minna is really strict."

"Irrelevant!" Tatiana shouted. "If she will teach me, I don't care!" her eyes glittered in ecstasy. "I have to tell Mommy!"

"Yeah, run," Toshiro waved her off, and the Orussian sprinted out of the room.

"Isn't becoming a famous singer contradictory to laying low?" Aya asked.

"I have a murky feeling I'll manage to let our _traitors_ off the hook. I have the money; I'll just have to be convincing enough for the commies to accept it."

"Money can't solve all problems, Grandpa…" Aya muttered. "But I guess it can help with most of them."

"Indeed, Aya…"

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	52. Chapter 52 – Wrapping up

Chapter 52 – Wrapping up

* * *

They didn't have to wait long, because Elwyn appeared in the doorway out of nowhere just after a few seconds.

"Woah, easy there girl!" Toshiro shouted with a Texan accent.

"Hah, I knew you would like it!" Elwyn cheered and pointed towards the armchair. "Is that my spot?"

"Come on in, don't stand there!" Aya waved her in.

Elwyn pranced on forward and made herself comfortable on her designated spot.

"I never knew this is so comfortable!" Elwyn noticed. "But I never had any business with the commander anyway."

"Kind of a bad way to do business, but I guess Ellie put up such an air around her, right?" Toshiro asked.

"Yeah, I always perceived her as somebody who doesn't wish to be interrupted in their office unless the sky is falling down. How was it on your end, Toshiro?"

"I slept with Minna on the first night in Folkestone," he smirked.

"Hoohooo! I dun hope that _slept_ is in an innocent way, right?"

"Yeah, I slept in a bedroll of my own, because my room wasn't even planned," Toshiro answered. "But a few days later I could sleep in my own bed, so meh…"

"Not having hairy thoughts all that time?" Elwyn smiled wryly.

"Elwyn, please… Did you already forget that the first one in the 501st to be robbed of her innocence by me was your grandmother?" Toshiro asked calmly.

"Ohhhh… But you could think of it, right?"

"Nah, besides some odd kisses, and that drunk shag with Shirley, I really didn't receive any action in Folkestone. Pescara on the other…"

"Grandpa, please," Aya interrupted him. "We gathered here to eventually help Elwyn, not for you to boast about whatnot…"

"Oh, sorry… Elwyn, how are you feeling 'bout tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? If shit hits the fan, I'll take the umbrella and stick it up the Neuroi's asses - that's how I feel!" Elwyn shouted with a strong southern accent. "But seriously, I am a bit scared, but I have all of you guys around me, plus I can fend for myself, so… I think if anything, we either fail tragically, or win decisively. In the second case, I'll have the occasion to follow up on my dreams."

"Oh do tell, since you're not sitting in the hangar for half the day," Toshiro leaned forward on his chair.

"Yeeeaaaaaah… I'm not into mechanics like my Grandma… But in electronics, hoooo! I'm the best! I even have my own personal diagnostic computer I made!"

"Oh! Welcome to the club, Elwyn!" Toshiro high fived with her. "I had to make everything from scratch to construct the EIF, sans the microprocessors. Intel is doing a really good job."

"What are you using now?!" Elwyn grabbed his hands.

Toshiro snickered and said, "Oh, a total geek… I upgraded stuff as it went, and now, the control panels for both EIF's have _eight-eighty-eights_ in them, but the internal avionics have _286's_."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwww…" Elwyn moaned. "And I have to use _eighty-eights_ in my computer AND my avionics… Puh…" she pouted. "God damn shitty pay…"

Toshiro smiled and said, "I can give you a whole ten-pack of _286's_ if you drop by my house."

"Bother, how would I do that…?"

"Dunno, you could always drop off the transport plane or something… Or I'll get your address and ship it through Hermes Mail…" Toshiro shrugged. "But what about that dream of yours? I can bet a thousand bucks that electronics are involved."

"Well duh! I want to have my own company dealing with it, or at least hook up with some promising one!"

"Call me if you need some aid. Really."

"Well, I think I'll do… Say, is Microsoft a good company? They did have some recent successes…"

"Good pick, Elwyn," Toshiro said. "They are a very promising business, and I think we will see some nice stuff from them in the future. But if you want to dabble in electronics, you'd better pick IBM."

"Thanks for the tip, Toshiro," Elwyn smiled. "S-Say…" she reddened up suddenly. "Tell me as a man; am I attractive to you as a woman?"

"Is this some kind of trick question, Elwyn dearest?"

"N-No… Not in the slightest…" she started getting red even more. "I really want to know your honest to the bone opinion."

Toshiro nodded and said, "Yes, you're beautiful, Elwyn, and VEEEERY well endowed. You won't have problems with suitors, if you ask me."

"Thanks…" she mumbled with red cheeks and jumped of the armchair. "I-I'll be going now…"

"Oh, Elwyn?" Toshiro asked.

"Yeah?"

"I can let you have a look at the innards of my Striker after I'm done here."

The Liberians eyes widened up and she nodded her head quickly.

"It's settled then," Toshiro said.

"Bye Elwyn," Aya said as the Liberian wandered out of the room in a daze. "I wonder how would she behave if you patted her on the head, Grandpa?"

"You're extrapolating too much, Aya. She would probably behave the same, but she would probably be super glad she got a pat on the head from me, that's all."

"Wisdom truly comes with age," Aya nodded her head slowly.

"And here comes our next _customer_ , from what I can hear."

"Say, Grandpa, do you _feel_ getting older?" Aya asked suddenly.

"Actually… Besides my hair slowly getting gray, and the occasional wrinkles, I don't feel that much different than I was in '45…" he pondered whilst looking at the ceiling. "I guess all the training I had in my life has conserved my body considerably. Well, that and my little cheating…"

"A-And Grandma?"

"Yoshika is a bit a different story, but I'll tell you after we get over with the next one of your friends, kay?"

"Kay…"

Giulietta dynamically slid into the room, with her breasts bouncing in all dimensions once she stopped.

"Wear a sports bra, girl!" Toshiro said with a wide grin.

"My knockers like my normal bra, thank you very much," she rebuked with a pouty face.

"A bad bra might have negative impact on your health," he shrugged.

"How can you know something like that?" Giulietta asked suspicious.

"I've been married for almost thirty seven years, and Yoshika is quite vocal about most things happening in our life."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that her boobs grew permanently after her pregnancy by one size," Toshiro smiled roguishly. "A 32D if you're wondering."

"Hmm, not bad…" Giulietta nodded. "Oh, can I have a seat?"

"Sure," Aya said.

Giulietta dropped herself on the armchair and asked, "So, whatcha wanna know?"

"Aya?" Toshiro asked and looked at his granddaughter.

"Ah, kay. So, Giulietta, care to share your thoughts about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow… Ugh, well, I know that things could get ugly at a flip of a coin, but I'm of high spirits. I noticed that I'm working well with Sieglinde, so I think the two of us will support each other, both morally and… combat wise," she said with a barely visible smile.

"Well, you better work on that _morale_ tonight…" Toshiro said nonchalantly.

As Giulietta's face reddened, Aya said, "Grandpa, don't be rude, this is a… delicate issue."

"I have to use fucking ear plugs…" he muttered, which made Giulietta redder than a dying star.

"I'll stop then…" she whimpered.

"No, no, you can screw around as much as you like, I'm not somebody to judge you."

"Really?" she shyly asked.

"Yeah. But haven't you thought about going straight?"

"Actually… many times… But you and Kola are actually the only men I've seen for a long time, since my home unit was all-girls… I would have to acquaint myself with boys, and stuff…"

"What about school?" Toshiro asked. "I guess all-girls grade school, huh?"

"Yeah, well, I'm a bit smarter than the average kid, and the best private school Mamma could find in _Firenze_ was an all-girls establishment so… I'm actually quite shy in the private with boys, since I didn't socialize with them too much… Or actually almost never… But I had some girl-on-girl episodes in middle school…"

"So you like girls just because you didn't have a choice?" Aya asked. "Now, you didn't tell me that…"

"You never asked," the Romagnan smiled. "I only told you how it went on in the army, but… yeah… I guess I withheld a bit… Sorry…"

"Nothing to apologize about, that's a very delicate and private matter," Aya patted her on the shoulder.

"Thanks…"

"Any plans for the future?" Toshiro asked.

"Part of it depends whether my sexual orientation changes or stays right the way it is now, but I always wanted to go to law school."

"Law school?!" both Toshiro and Aya shouted at the same time.

"Well, either that or economic studies. You know that my family is rather rich, right, Toshiro?"

"Yeah, your grandfather brought a whole bank with him, since he was the only child of the owner of one of the biggest private banks in Romagna," he giggled. "So I assume you want to carry on the family business, right?"

"Giulietta Pesci, CEO of the _Banco Secundo di Firenze_ …. Hmmm… Has a nice ring to it!" Giulietta cheered. "Yup, I want to carry on the family business. Romagna is all about family business, _capische_?"

"Did your father give you an offer you can't refuse?" Toshiro asked with a tired voice.

" _Si, Don_ Edelweiss!" Giulietta burst out in laughter. "Oh the stereotypes! Hah! You gotta love 'em!"

"I give up with you two…" Aya sighed, but snickered briefly under her nose.

After Giulietta stopped, she said, "This was a fun talk, you two. Can I go now? I want to laze around a bit, maybe it will be my last chance to do so?"

"Yeah, go," Toshiro said. "And I promise that I will try in every possible way so that you can laze around until you die of old age, right, Aya?"

"Bah! Of course, Grandpa!"

"Heh, thanks," Giulietta smiled for the last time and she walked out of the room.

"So about Grandma…"

"Yeah, Yoshika is aging more _normally_ than I am. She has her problems, since she didn't train as much as me, and although her magic keeps her body strong, she did have to have some surgery last year."

"Oh my…" Aya gasped. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We didn't want to worry you unnecessarily, given your mental state back then, and it wasn't something life threatening anyway."

"Right… A shame one can't heal oneself with healing magic, unless it follows with an unhuman regeneration factor…" Aya sighed.

"Even a doctor needs to visit one of his colleagues at times," Toshiro patted her on the head. "Now, let's wait for the next one, kay?"

"Not many left to be honest."

"Good."

"Will you tell me what that surgery was?" Aya changed the topic all of a sudden.

"Believe it or not, but it was appendicitis," Toshiro answered calmly.

"Really? Just that?" she asked surprised. "Wheeeew… You could have told me that…"

Toshiro's face became gloom and he said, "It was the same time Simone died…"

"Oh…" Aya's frowned. "I see… Bad timing indeed…"

"Hey, what's the matter?" Elsa's voice rang in the dead silence. "Anything happen?"

Aya looked up, and with a fake smile she said, "Nah, nothing much. Have a seat."

"Kaaaaaay…" Elsa said suspicious and sat. "Whatever is happening, cheer up you two. If the two of you are down like that tomorrow, we'll never gonna win, not in a million years."

"You think we can win tomorrow?" Toshiro asked.

"Of course!" Elsa cheered. "We will all contribute, but I think all us Karlslanders silently think that the two of you and Alissa will be the most influential in the potential upcoming battle."

"Oh I do hope you'll contribute, Elsa," Toshiro said. "Your raw firepower is stupendous, and you know that."

"Hah, I do!" Elsa chuckled. "Good that my M61 is unscathed after that little _event_ …"

"Yeah, Katie sure powered you up…" Aya nodded her head slowly. "Grandpa, what would happen if you'd pour your strongest magic into a minigun?"

"It would break apart after about a hundred rounds. A cannon would explode after one-two shots."

"Ah, I forgot, you have to treat them first…"

"Treat them?" Elsa asked. "As in how?"

"I white-heat the metal and infuse it with my magic, thus increasing the hardness and resilience of it dramatically."

"Say, can you do that to at least one of my guns?" Elsa asked. "Would be fun!"

"I can do that to your cannon, the M61 has waaaay too many parts…"

"Yay! So, after you'll talk to everyone, we'll go to the hangar, kay?!" Elsa started jittering from excitement.

Toshiro placed his hand on her head and said, "Sure we can. Elwyn will go with us, since she wants to take a look at my Striker."

"Woohoo!"

"But before that, tell me one thing – what future are you planning for yourself."

"I'm actually torn between staying in the army as a heavy weaponry instructor, or dunno, pursuing an academic career? I mean my whole family is stinking rich, so I want to pursue some personal evolution. What do you say, Toshiro?"

"Both options are good, Elsa, but remember that if we defeat the Neuroi once and for all, the only enemies will have are other people. Will you stay in the army and continue the same path as before the Neuroi re-emerged, knowing you might be sent to some conflict in which you will have to kill fellow human beings?"

"No…" she said quietly. "I couldn't do it no matter what… I always prayed that I wouldn't have to do it, that we would only train in our country, eventually go on outland training… You gave me something to think about, Toshiro, much obliged."

"Hey, I'm here for all of you. You can go now if you want."

"Yeah, I'll go… Aya, can I talk to you later?"

"Sure thing, Elsa," Aya smiled, and her friend slowly walked out of the room. "I think everyone of us has such a fear like Elsa – that we could be employed to kill people… I would outright disobey any order concerning killing other human beings, would you?"

"Never killed a person in my whole life, Aya, even the biggest scumbag…" he answered quietly.

"We're going gloom again… Come on, let's turn that frown upside down, or Angela will be cranky."

"I see you've figured out the pattern," Toshiro smiled immediately. "Good girl."

"Hey, I've got your smarts!" she giggled.

Toshiro stood up from his chair and started walking around the room slowly.

"Hmm? Too much sitting for one go, Grandpa?" Aya asked.

"Kind of… You know, when I develop something, I don't give a flat fuck to the time, but this chair is damn uncomfortable…"

"Oh, then take mine!" Aya jumped off her chair and pointed towards it.

"Nah, have it…"

"Grandpa, please," she said firmly.

He shook his head and said, "Who would refuse such a cute and smart granddaughter…?"

"Nobody refuses Aya when she makes that face," Angela said from the doorway, surprising both of them. "Back when she still was how she was, making that pouty-angry face was enough for everyone to stand down."

"Do tell?" Toshiro asked while looking at Aya.

His slightly blushing granddaughter then answered, "Well… Heh… You know, I had my _justice_ _phases_ , even I was borderline shy…"

"They sure didn't write that… oh right, Alissa…" Toshiro mumbled.

"Write what?" both of them asked.

"I told Alissa report how you're doing to me directly, either on paper or through the phone, so I can give a summary to my daughter and son-in-law," Toshiro explained. "Yes, call me a bit too intrusive, but it was for the good of your parents, Aya. You probably can imagine what it was for them in the first days of your absence."

"I thought about that a lot actually… Were they worried much?"

"Janusz as a Leh just stopped giving fucks and said that if you're old enough to join the army, you'll manage. Of course Akiko was worried sick, so that she couldn't sleep for the first two nights, but she started calming down soon after Alissa gave me her first report."

"I sure was a bother…" Aya sighed.

"It wasn't your fault, Aya," Angela patted her on the shoulder. "Remember that it was Alissa that dragged you into the army, although every doctor would pronounce you unfit for any kind of military duty. But I guess it worked out in the end. Not to mention you've made friends with the three of us," she smiled shyly. "Thank you for that…"

"Well, the counseling turned in a bit unexpected direction…" Toshiro muttered. "Have a seat, Angela."

"Ah, don't mind if I do," she said and sat.

"Grandpa?" Aya asked with a smirk on her face while pointing at her chair.

"Yeah, yeah, Jesus Fucking Christ…" he grumbled as he took seat on it. "Happy?"

"Yup!" Aya nodded her head, and sat on Toshiro's place. "Hey, it's really a bit hard… Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I'm a man, I can't outright complain about such trifles, can I?"

"My father wouldn't complain if he had a crankshaft up his colon," Angela snickered. "In a one to ten scale of not giving fucks, he would have to add a twelve to be listed properly."

Toshiro raised his hands in the air and shouted, "Finally, a soul mate!"

Both girls had a laugh, and then Angela asked, "So, will you two be doing your magic right now? Because I say, the girls that returned are… glad is the best word I can think of right now."

"We'll do it, but first tell us what's going on back there," Toshiro said.

"Oh, yeah, please!" Aya joined in.

"The girls are playing cards in a _civilized_ manner…" she shot an irritated look at Toshiro. "…but we also tell some stories and stuff. One could say we're _chilling_."

"Whew…" Aya sighed in relief. "I thought that you were thinking weird stuff since the girls exited the room in various emotional states."

"Only the half-naked Nami raised enough eyebrows for whispering to start coursing around the bedroom, but she quickly dispelled our delusions."

"That's reassuring," Toshiro smiled. "So, I guess you're ready to fight tomorrow?"

"Indeed, I'm prepared to whoop some Neuroi ass, but I do hope that you two and Alissa will make a difference. My role is rather supportive in most battles."

"Each brick constitutes to a house, Angela," Toshiro said. "You are our living breathing spy satellite, and thanks to your magic and smarts, we can coordinate every attack and defense."

"I tend not to overestimate the role of my magic in combat, so I won't be surprised if some enemies pop out of thin air. But even if that happens, I have my friends covering my back."

"Still precautious after that one time you failed to notice that Neuroi?" Aya asked.

"Yeah… Call me paranoid, or simply superstitious, but hey, I'm just human," she shrugged.

"Indeed," Toshiro said. "So now that we covered tomorrow, how about the farther future?"

"My grandmother was a singer, my mom is a singer, and thus, I think I will become one too. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm being forced into it or something, it's just that I think singing is fun."

"Nothing stopping you from becoming the second Maria Callas, huh?" Toshiro asked with a small smile.

"I have nothing on the _primadonna assoluta_ , Toshiro. But I will at least try to get in range," Angela winked.

"Now that's what I call motivation. But to be honest, I never heard you sing. Did you, Aya?"

Aya giggled and said, "Angela sung the carols on last Christmas so beautifully that some of the girls cried."

"Oh please…" Angela mumbled, her face getting slowly red.

"You know what… Talk to Tatiana, maybe you could give us a sample of your talent after supper?"

"Is Tatiana a singer too?" Angela asked surprised.

"Just ask her about it," Toshiro winked.

"Well okay, I will!" Angela said enthusiastically. "In fact I'll do it right away, if of course I'm dismissed."

"Dismissed, Leutnant Bauer," Aya said firmly.

Angela smiled, quickly saluted, answered, "Jawohl, Major von Edelweiss!", and she ran away.

"Major von Edelweiss… Holy shit, I haven't heard that since yaaaay long ago… It's almost 38 years dead since I was promoted to Major for the duration of my excursion to Cyrenaica…"

"Time flies, huh, Grandpa?"

"Like the fastest of missiles…" he sighed. "You may bitch all you want at how your daily grind is boring, how school is boring, how work is boring, but at one point or the other in life, you will look back at it and say ask yourself "Why the fuck was I so worked up about all of that?""

Aya pondered on a bit and said, "Indeed… I was always pent up in school, wanting the lesson to end so I could disappear somewhere… But now when I look back, I see that despite all the bad things that happened, it was the most carefree period of my life."

"See? You already caught on," Toshiro patted her on the head. "Oh whenever you came with your parents for a visit, you were simply all over the place…"

"I still remember some early years of my life. I remember that once you took me to that underground lab of yours… You still have it, I presume?"

"Yup, still operating, the EIF series Strikers being the latest of the things I tinkered with there," he explained. "So you probably remember the Air Bands I showed you?"

"Of course I do! I almost flipped from amazement!" Aya laughed. "Oh the good innocent times…" she said with a dreamy voice, looking at the floor. "I sometimes wish the years between third grade and a few days ago would simply vanish but…"

"But then you wouldn't remember the good things too," Sieglinde grabbed Aya's shoulders suddenly.

"Waaaaaah!" Aya screamed and turned around, "Sigi! Don't sneak up on me like that, you know I don't like it!"

"You _didn't_ like it, you didn't however state if you _still_ don't like it."

"Aaaah, I know what you mean… Well, I haven't redefined some of our _internal_ rules, because… uhh... the changes would be self-explanatory."

Sieglinde shrugged and said, "That wasn't."

"Probably…"

"Internal rules?" Toshiro asked. "As in "101 things not to do around Aya so that she doesn't panic"?"

Both of them smiled, and Sieglinde said, "Yes, exactly. We had to ad-lib it, since Aya wasn't exactly vocal of her quirks at the beginning, and once she gained our trust, we didn't want to pry, as not to scare her off."

"You could have tried," Toshiro said. "Alissa would most likely repair the damage done."

"I have a feeling she would," Sieglinde nodded.

"Take a seat, Sigi, don't stand like that."

"I can stand," she shrugged.

"I know you can stand, your massive quads being proof of that, but I want you to seat," Aya said in a friendly manner, but her eyes told something else.

"Oh okay…" Sieglinde mumbled and sat down. "Better?" she asked, receiving a smile as confirmation. "Man, you sure are a good superior," she giggled. "Shame your promotion to Captain got blocked because of your condition."

"But I'm now a Major," Aya giggled. "It turned out better than expected."

"Okay, ladies, you'll have the rest of the day to squabble; I want to get my job done here."

"Kay, Grandpa."

"Thanks. So, Sieglinde, in high spirits for tomorrow?"

"As a True Soldier of Karlsland – always!" she shouted passionately. "But privately… I don't know…"

"Sigi? Are you perhaps… afraid?" Aya asked.

"I know this sounds ground shattering coming from me but… yeah, I'm afraid. I'm afraid that the world might end before I live my life in full. That it would end before I am recognized for the training I have done with my body. That it would end before I would fulfil myself as a woman…" she sighed deeply. "I place high confidence in my combat skills, and in all my comrades in arms, but the reptile part of my brain simply says, "Run!"…"

"That's only natural, Sigi…" Aya said reassuringly. "I would me more afraid if _you_ weren't afraid. You know, fear makes us more aware, more careful, and less predictable. Fear prevents the underestimation of a threat, and can give you the kick needed to retreat. But you have to keep it in check, or it _will_ get the better of you. If you trust us, your friends, then remember that we're always there for you, so if you ever feel afraid, don't hesitate to call upon us."

"Schooled like a child…" Sieglinde shook her head. "But you're right, Aya, in every point. I just have to fight as usual, but remember that behind my back, there's a whole unit ready to help me when I'm in a pinch," she smiled brightly. "Toshiro?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you drill me?" she asked with a straight face.

"Weeeeeeell…" he stood up slowly, grabbing the buckle of his belt.

"Sit," Aya said and brought him down on the chair with one swift hand movement. "Sigi, do you have to put such pressure on Grandpa? Exposing your body to him – okay, I can understand… Somehow… But outright asking him to _drill_ you is a bit… ugh…"

"You both fell for it," Sieglinde giggled. "Although I would gladly peruse you, Toshiro. After doing it with Kola I feel some kind of craving…"

"Visit Giulietta in the evening?" Toshiro asked.

"I'll probably have to…" she sighed. "One last bilateral beaver bashing before the whole world could burn, heh…"

"But in case the world doesn't burn to a cinder, what do you plan on doing?"

"I actually thought about it recently, and I can give you a straight answer, Toshiro. And you, Aya, of course. I plan to get hitched as soon as possible, but not to whatever random dude. I plan to bear a child, also ASAP, so I can have it behind me, and return to training. Then, I'll start entering fitness and bodybuilding contests, and try to make a name in those circles. Some random dude from Ostmark could land so high, I'll do it too!" she pounded her chest, making it jiggle.

"Nice plan," Toshiro smiled. "If you need some tips on workout, nutrition, or whatnot, hit me up on the phone. I think I'm entitled to give you advice," he winked and flexed his biceps, bulging out his uniforms sleeve considerably.

"Really?" her eyes sparkled suddenly.

"Yeah, sure. I have a lot of free time, so I could even pay you a visit once in a while."

"Heh, thanks, Toshiro. Much appreciated, really. But if you're at it, do the same to Shinobu, I told her I'll write her up a training plan, so she gets a bit jacked."

"As I said – I can pay you a visit home."

"Then it's settled!" Sieglinde cheered and hugged him. "I'll go now, kay?"

"Sure, but call in Katie while you're at it."

" _Verstanden_!" she saluted and ran off.

"My… Sieglinde going all emotional is something she does only around her closest circle of friends… I guess you earned your way in there in more than one way, huh?"

"Jacked, a hero, and a smooth talker!" Toshiro laughed. "Sieglinde is a real nice girl on the inside, totally like Erica."

"Just a bit more organized, I guess?"

"Yeah, a lot more organized, but I guess she's as intelligent as she is."

"You bet it, same IQ level as her Grandma, she told me that in secret," Aya whispered.

"I noticed that all of you have very high IQ levels, either in the _gifted_ range or outright geniuses. The gene lottery sure had a lot of prizes…"

"We're the granchildren, Grandpa, it's normal that we get the best traits of our grandparents, even amplified by the new _blood_. Hybrids are always exhibiting the best traits after all," Aya explained.

"I guess Mendel figured it out pretty nicely," Toshiro snickered. "But I'm glad that you're all behaving more or less like _normal_ girls. There's nothing worse than boasting about your own intelligence, even if it's proven."

"Yeaaah…"

"Woah, what a sigh," Katie entered the room. "You called?"

"Yup, have a seat," Toshiro said. "And don't worry about Aya, she's okay."

"Well I hope she's okay, she's my right hand after all, ha!" Katie laughed as she took her seat. "So, what's cooking, doc?"

"Don't belittle me, Katie… I'm a professor, a Nobel prize laureate, doctor honoris causa of _many_ universities, and an honorary citizen of who-the-fuck-know-how-many cities and states…" Toshiro said with a pouty face.

"Grandpa, don't confuse Katie, please."

"Pleaaaase, if that was supposed to guilt trip or confuse me, it fell flatter than that desk behind you," Katie giggled. "You know, I was taught stuff…"

"Oh I imagine…" Toshiro mumbled while shooting her an annoyed glare. "So anywho, I want to know what's on your mind concerning tomorrow."

"Tomorrow…" she said with a sad voice. "I'm utterly destroyed by the fact what could possibly happen tomorrow…"

"Do you want to talk about that?" both Aya and Toshiro asked at the same time, looking at each other surprised afterward.

"Oh, heh… You two sure are eager to help…" Katie said flustered. "But I have to politely decline your help. This is something I have to resolve on my own…"

"I do have a trick up my sleeve, but it will only work if you want it to work," Toshiro said.

"Hypnosis? Won't work."

"Nope, it's something better. I can use it on you, but you have to want to be _healed._ "

"Sounds ominous but… You know what? I'll bite! Whatever it is, I want it!" she shouted.

Toshiro's hands wandered to the zipper of his pants, but Aya swatted them to the side and moaned, "Graaaandpaaa…"

"Kidding, kidding, sheeeeesh…" he muttered, looking at the amused Katie. "Okay, now the real deal."

His signature aura, the Sacred Flame, enveloped him silently.

"Relax, Katie. Just lean back in that armchair, and trust me in what I'm doing."

"Oooookaaaay…" she said with a bit of reserve, but she did in fact lean back and relax.

Toshiro moved behind her, and placed his hands on her head. The flame concentrated on his hands, and Katie exhaled deeply.

"Better?" Toshiro asked after his aura disappeared.

"As if… As if I ascended to heaven for a bit… What was that?"

"A special property of my Sacred Flame. I can also exorcise rampant spirits, and turn the undead," he winked.

"Pretty versatile," she smiled. "How long will this last?"

"If you let it, even a few days."

"No, no, I don't want it to last that long, I have to be fit for battle."

"This won't interfere with your battle capabilities, Katie," Toshiro smiled.

"Oh… Because, you know, I want to help Lily and the rest of you as much as possible and if your little trick would hinder me…"

Toshiro's hand landed softly on her left shoulder and he said, "It won't, don't worry, really."

"Good," she smiled. "If you're thinking about doing the same to Ellie, don't bother, she's way tougher than me."

"We'll remember that," Aya said. "What do you want to do after all of this?"

"Errr… My dream was to become a teacher, but… I guess the only children I could teach are those in some godforsaken village in South Liberion, once the KGB gets wind of my defection…"

"I see…" Toshiro scratched his chin, "This means that I'll have to try super hard to please those slimy bastards somehow, so nobody will _accidentally_ poke you with a Moesian umbrella..."

"Good intel, Toshiro…" Katie nodded in admiration. "And seriously, if you manage to keep the scumbags away from me, and of course from the rest, I could probably give my body to you in lease."

"Woah, don't make promises you can't keep, Katie," Aya said scornfully

"Snap…" Katie muttered. "You're right, that won't work. Will you take universally accepted _Thank You_ brand IOU's?"

"That also works," Toshiro snickered. "Really, I'm doing this only expecting some verbally expressed gratitude in return."

"You must be from another planet…"

"Some people told me I'm crazy," he shrugged. "But it's rooted too deep in me to help people."

"Well then…" she quickly gave a peck on his cheek. "Let's say this is the first instalment of my gratitude."

"Thirty more years of that monthly, and I think you'll pay up," he smirked.

"Grandpa, you mistook it for a mortgage…" Aya sighed, but with a smile on her face.

"Sure, stomp on my fun…" he shook his head. "Okay, Katie, you can go."

"Bet I have to call Ellie, huh?"

"Of course, she's the commander of this outfit. And a commander with high morale equals a unit with high morale."

"Roger!" Katie saluted and ran off.

"That's the second time I saw the Sacred Flame on somebody else than me…" Aya said. "I hope she felt as calm and warm inside as me…"

"I wouldn't know; I can't use it on me," Toshiro shrugged. "I'll ask Livy one day, maybe she'll demonstrate."

"That would be the easiest way," Aya said.

After only a tiny bit of waiting, Ellie appeared in the doorway, looking at her office scrupulously.

"Don't worry, we didn't detonate a nuclear warhead here," Toshiro smirked.

"Or painted it pink and slapped _Hello Kitty_ stickers all over the walls."

Ellie chuckled and said, "I didn't expect that much, but yeah, it's nice I didn't walk into another dimension or something like that. I bet that armchair is for me?"

"Indeed, Ellie," Aya answered. "Please take a seat."

"Why thank you," she responded politely, and dropped on her bum. "So, first question first or the second now?"

"You _interrogated_ the girls, huh?" Toshiro asked.

"Something something KGB something rooting out something…" Ellie shrugged. "No, Tanya told me."

"That was predictable," Aya smiled. "She really loves you, Ellie."

"I'm quite a bit baffled by it… She's calling me "Mommy" from the top of her lungs, just like that…" Ellie's cheeks lit up briefly.

"Let her, for now," Toshiro said. "She'll grow up, catch up with her emotional development, and soon maybe she'll call you "Mom" and "Ellie" interchangeably."

"I hope… But I'm also afraid all of this won't succeed, even if we win against the Neuroi. I mean, how can one man persuade such an underhanded organization?"

"Leave that one on my shoulders, Ellie," he answered lightly. "You concentrate on yourself and your new family right now… First things first, I'll hole you up in my home. Nobody will even dare to come near it, trust me."

"And of course Tanya, Katie, and Kola with me?"

"Of course. Yoshika will be happy she can cook for more people, not only us two."

"I say, I do want to meet the famous woman standing at your side for almost four decades…"

"You could have met Grandma in Volgograd, Ellie," Aya said. "Why didn't you come with us?"

"Katie and I felt that we would be out of place. We simply didn't want to interrupt your little establishment, that's all. You all know yourselves each other for so long…"

"Oh come on…" Toshiro sighed. "Was that the guilt of being a secret agent eating you away or what?"

"A3, single mast, hit, sunk…" Ellie muttered. "Not only that, I was afraid that if I would get too comfy with all of you…"

"…you could break and confess before all of us," Aya finished her sentence for her.

"Yes, you smart-alecky third-in-command," Ellie smirked. "So, I believe question one was answered?"

"Not quite, Ellie. What will happen if a battle ensues?" Toshiro asked.

"I was the first to fight, so I will be the last to stand," Ellie said proudly, albeit with her face blank. "My magic makes me a formidable opponent, so I won't sell my hide cheaply."

"I wonder…" Toshiro pondered.

"Grandpa, if you're thinking what I'm thinking, please don't… I averted a nuclear crisis for a reason…"

"Hey, but that would be a clean explosion!" Toshiro protested.

"Only if you ensure that nobody gets hurt, including wildlife," Aya sighed.

Ellie tilted her head slightly and asked, "What are you plotting?"

"There's a slight chance we'll both cooperate in…"

Toshiro's utterance was interrupted by the phone ringing, so Ellie stood up and picked up the receiver.

"Yes?"

"Podpolkovnik Horbaczewski, I have some news concerning your unit," the usual voice said.

"Please."

"It's brief – you don't have to put up a night patrol today, that's all," he said and the connection was cut.

Ellie's face warped in surprise and she looked back at the two.

"What?" Aya asked.

"Tanya and Aina have a free night it seems, command called of their night patrol."

"That's rather self-explanatory, if you think about it," Aya said. "But it's good that it's official."

"Yup, very good," she smiled. "Were there any other calls incoming while I was with the girls?"

"Nope," Toshiro answered. "Question two, Ellie. You can stand there if you like."

Ellie sat on the desk and said, "I wanted to study my own language thoroughly in college, and look up some profession connected to that, but I think there's one occupation that'll come before that," she smiled warmly. "Being a mother. Until Tanya readjusts to _normal_ life, I'll be a full-time mom."

"Well then…" Toshiro stood up and approached her. "When you're in my household, be sure to ask Yoshika on tips about that," he lifted his hand up.

Ellie grabbed it, shook it, and said, "Thanks, Toshiro. If everything goes to fuck itself, at least I'll have your good intentions to comfort me."

"Don't be so gloom, Ellie, everything will work out somehow," Aya said as she approached them.

"You two are… Ugh, I'll stop talking, or I'll start crying…"

"This may be a bad moment to ask, but why are you so strict towards swearing?" Toshiro asked.

"My father cursed a whole lot, simple," she answered briskly. "It's a shame to sully any language, especially Leh, with such foul words. Of course when well-rounded sentences can't express something, a simple _kurwa_ will do it much better."

"Oh the plethora of swear words in your language, my!" Toshiro shouted. "All you have in Britannian is "fuck,"" he snickered.

" _No kurwa_ (Fucking of course)!" Ellie cheered and laughed happily. "Well then, I guess you're finished with your little _company_?"

"Actually no, we still have a bonus round," Toshiro grinned. "Could you return where you came from for a bit, Ellie?"

"Kay, but who should I summon then?"

"She already knows," he winked.

"Then I'm removing myself from your vicinity," Ellie bowed and walked away with satisfaction written all over her face.

"Bonus round?" Aya asked. "Who?"

"And a one… And a two… And a…"

"Yo," Alissa's voice was heard from the floor, and Toshiro stomped with full power, without moving his upper body a single millimeter.

Alissa caught his foot with no effort and said, "Now, now… Don't treat me like dung all the time, Toshiro."

"You don't stomp dung on purpose, so that elevates you at least a few ranks," he shrugged.

Alissa laughed, and lifted herself from the ground, "Bonus round arrived."

" _You_ are the bonus round?" Aya raised an eyebrow. "Well…"

"I decided to play along with Toshiro, but I won't jump the gun just yet," she smiled. "So, Toshiro, do your thing."

"You're of course jamming that little thing in the leg of the desk?"

"Do you think I won my powers on the lottery yesterday? Of course I am," she rebuked.

"Well now… So, Kye, what do you think about tomorrow?"

"Ah, yes… I will tell you something, but do not repeat it, okay?" she looked at the two, and after seeing nods, she continued. "You see, tomorrow, the fate of this world _will_ be decided. However, the result I won't tell you for obvious reasons. But hey, you can brainstorm for a bit."

"Brainstorm you say…" Toshiro muttered. "I do wonder if something short of a _Tzar Bomba_ could destroy Xadeus?"

"Won't tell, you'll have to learn of his power on your own."

"Big battle?" Aya asked.

"That's a possibility."

Toshiro sighed and asked, "Will you leave this world?"

"Maaaaaaybeeee…" she mused.

"Okay, if a battle ensues, will you fight without pretending your handicapped, or continue faking it?" Aya asked.

"Depends on how the battle unfolds."

"I think that's all…" Toshiro said.

"Don't want to ask about that ring of yours?" Alissa smiled wryly.

"As if you'll fucking give me a clear answer…" Toshiro looked at the monochromatic-translucent ring on his left hand.

"Of course not. But do remember, that that's a ring from the Primordial Goddess herself, so it is special. Using D&D nomenclature, it's a plus-twenty Ring of the Chosen One," Alissa giggled. "Keep it safe, especially tomorrow."

"I was told to keep it safe last time, yet, I still don't remember it helping me in any way…"

"Tomorrow, Toshiro, tomorrow… Tomorrow you'll learn new things of great magnitude, believe me. The only thing I'll do today is tease you. Well, I stopped the teasing for now actually. You can both close up shop here," she shifted her gaze to Aya. "You will learn some important things too, Aya, don't feel singled out."

"Okay," Aya smiled. "Grandpa, let's clear this up, so you can go with Elwyn and Elsa to the hangar."

"Yeah, time to move a bit," he stretched himself, causing a series of audible cracks.

"Wow, I never knew a human can snap joints so loudly…" Aya said in admiration.

"Age before beauty, Aya," Toshiro snickered and grabbed the chair he was sitting on. "Let's get this done, unless…"

The three chairs suddenly rearranged themselves, and Toshiro shot an annoyed glance at Alissa.

"What?" she asked, trying to contain her laughter.

"Fuck this shit…" Toshiro mumbled and exited the room.

"You shouldn't have done that, Alissa," Aya said firmly. "You perfectly well know, and now I know, that he utterly hates when you show off with your powers."

"I have to do it while I can," Alissa smiled slightly while looking at the doorway.

"And what does that mean? You'll be leaving soon or what?"

"Everything in due time, Sweetcake. Now, run along and give Kola a hug."

"Good idea, here I go!" Aya cheered and ran off.

"Shame you'll be in the dark for much much longer, Aya…" Alissa sighed and walked her way.

 **Bedroom**

"I lost…" Giulietta whimpered. "Goodbye boobs…"

"I told you that this bet was stupid," Kola sighed. "I won't _cash in_ if you don't want, Giulietta."

"No, a bet's a bet," she said and unbuttoned her uniforms shirt, revealing her plump rack, sitting nicely in a dark satin bra. "Have at it… B-B-But be gentle, please…"

Kola looked around and said, "We have to do it before all the girls?"

"It's so you won't go further," Sieglinde winked.

"Well, fuck, I hope Aya will be considerate…"

His enormous hands gently grabbed Giulietta's breasts, causing her to let out a spontaneous moan.

"D-Don't mind me…" she quickly said, utterly baffled.

At the same time, the door opened, and Toshiro stood in the doorway, with Aya at his side.

"I leave you for an hour, and you already start molesting my friend? Shame..." Aya said, not hiding her discontent.

Kola quickly separated his hands from Giulietta's knockers, to which the Romagnan quickly started buttoning herself up.

"It was a bet," Kola said with a poker face.

"A bet," Aya repeated.

"If I win three hands in a row, Giulietta will let me fondle her tits."

"Uhuh…"

"I was against it, but I guess I succumbed to peer pressure," he pointed out the rest of the girls, who suddenly found many of the things surrounding them absolutely interesting.

"Yeaaaaah…"

"I'm sorry…" he sighed.

Aya disappeared suddenly, and appeared holding Kola by the collar of his sweater tightly. She forcefully bent him down, and kissed him on the lips briefly.

"Don't forget who you want to marry, Kola," she said cheerfully and looked towards Giulietta. "Don't bother with those buttons; I have a plan for you…" her tone changed from cheerful to demonic at a toss of a hat.

"Eeeek!" Giulietta shouted.

"Sieglinde, Shino – restrain her, Elwyn and Elsa – you go to the hangar with Grandpa."

"Can't we stay and watch?" Toshiro asked.

"And who would relieve you from a sudden boner, Grandpa?" she asked with a devilish smirk popping up on her face.

"Guess you're right," Toshiro shrugged. "Come on, you two. Elwyn, you can take that microcomputer of yours."

"Woah, sure!" she shouted and quickly pulled out the small metal case from under her bag.

"And do take warm coats," he also said.

The two didn't need an invitation, and in five seconds, they were standing before him with their coats and caps in their hands.

"Onwards then," he turned around and went outside.

 _"_ _Shame I won't witness this…"_

 _"_ _That's questionably perverse…"_

 _"_ _Kinda… I saw Aya naked in her whole bodily perfectness, but seeing her in a sexual situation? Hmm… Nah…"_

 _"_ _What makes you think the events that will transpire will be of sexual nature?"_

 _"_ _Not exactly intercourse, but I assume that Giulietta will regret ever going through puberty…"_

 _"_ _I thought exactly the same… Heh…"_

* * *

 **Moesian umbrella = Bulgarian umbrella, something to look up**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	53. Chapter 53 – Like there's no tomorrow

Chapter 53 – Like there's no tomorrow

* * *

 **Hangar**

"Okay then, Elwyn first," Toshiro said.

"Baaaaaaaaaaaawwww…" Elsa sulked ostentatiously.

"Hey, hey…" Toshiro patted her on the head. "Your stuff is more complicated and time consuming, Elsa, so it's natural I'll tend to Elwyn first."

"It's not because she has enormous tits?" she asked bluntly.

"How the hell did that come up?!" Elwyn protested audibly.

"Calm down, both of you…" Toshiro sighed. "Elwyn, wait a just a second, and Elsa, you have nice boobs yourself. Both of you satisfied?"

"Kinda…" they muttered in sync.

"Okay, come on, Elwyn. You can take a peek too, if you want, Elsa."

"If I'm here already…"

The three approached Toshiro's Striker, carefully placed against Aya's Launch Unit. Toshiro opened the hatch in the right one with his bare hands, making Elwyn's eyes grow in size considerably.

"This… This… This is fucking space tech!" she shouted. "Did you get this out of Area 51 or what?!"

"What you see is the fruit of my own mind, with some auxiliary help from Yuki," he said. "You have that microcomputer of yours with you, right?"

"Y-Yes, of course!" she shouted as she was opening the metal case. "Here!"

Toshiro took the sturdy device from her and nodded. "Yeah, looks nice. Did you make it yourself?"

"Does the bear shit in the woods? Of course I did!"

"Your parents must be proud of you?" Elsa asked.

"Kinda… Sorta…" she blushed. "But I'm on a budget, so this is the best I could staple together…"

"Admirable nonetheless," Toshiro said and picked a screwdriver from the case. "Yoink! Better warm up that thing of yours already."

"Ah, yes!" Elwyn cheered and flipped the power switch on her tool.

Toshiro unscrewed a panel inside the Striker and said, "Gimmie."

"Awwww…" she sulked as she handed her microcomputer over.

"I know you wanted to do everything on your own, but I don't have a backup of the EEPROM with me, and re-programming it with this would be… ugh, I would need a LOT of time…"

"Okay, I understand," she smiled.

Toshiro plugged the device in and started muttering, "Ooookaaay… Handshake… Code…" his hands flashed so fast that Elwyn didn't even think of enabling her magic. "Enter… Read-only… Kay, now you can dabble with it. Oh, and don't destroy the motherboard, or I'll send Aya after you."

Elwyn shuddered and said, "Sure!"

"Oh, and it's in full debug mode, so you can view the whole code listing," he smiled.

"Woah, thanks!" she cheered and immediately began dabbling in the programming.

"Give a kid a toy," Elsa said. "How about one for me now?"

"Lead on."

Once they arrived at her Launch Unit, Elsa took her cannon and put in on the ground before Toshiro.

"Good. Scratch up all the tools needed to dismantle it."

"We're dismantling it? Cool!" Elsa squealed and started running around the whole hangar in the search of tools.

Toshiro in the meantime approached her M61 and patted the front barrel brace.

 _"_ _Wish I had something like this in the Second Neuroi War…"_

 _"_ _Karlsland would go bankrupt. Reason – ammo bills for one Toshiro Fartenweiss."_

 _"_ _Heh… But now..."_

Toshiro took the gun alone from its place and lifted it up.

 _"_ _Nothing like a big clunk of metal in your hands to feel at ease…"_

He engaged the rotary mechanism at the lowest speed, and started switching the speeds. When he was at the last marked speed, six thousand revolutions rounds per minute, he noticed that the switch was wobbling oddly.

"Pull, and turn," Elsa's voice rang from his side.

Toshiro, not looking at her, pulled the switch, and turned it to the right, and the barrels started spinning with a whiz similar to that of a dentist's drill. He turned the motor off, and after the barrel assembly stopped spinning, he asked, "That's a mod, huh?"

"Heheh, made it myself, with permission from my higher ups. One with blonde hair to be precise," she giggled.

"Ten thousand RPM is a bit of an overkill, but it sure looked flashy combined with Katie's fire magic."

"Did you count?!"

"Yeah, a one second, ten thousand time fold time dilution was everything I needed, and I nailed it," he smiled. "I see you have all the tools needed?" he asked looking the Karlslander carrying a handful of tools.

"Yup!" she cheered. "Time to disassemble that puppy!"

Toshiro looked as she skillfully dismantled her gun with utmost care, and at halfway, Elwyn shouted, "Toshiro, I'll be leaving now, the girls need me!"

"Looked at everything you wanted to look at?"

"Sure! I secured the panels, bye!"

"Always a pleasure to help somebody!"

"Toshiro, should I dismantle the electronics panel too?" Elsa asked.

"No, keep that in one piece, just disconnect the wiring," he answered.

"Kay."

A bit later, he had a disassembled cannon before him, as well as a satisfied Elsa grinning at him.

"Good job," he ruffled up her hair. "Now I have to treat every single one of these parts with my magic, so you might as well chill somewhere."

"Oh, I'll just wait patiently on my Launch Unit then."

"Good idea."

* * *

An hour later, after superheating every possible part and infusing it with his magic, Toshiro said, "You can assemble it back again."

"Why didn't you heat up the elect… Oh wait…"

"Good save," Toshiro laughed. "Now excuse me, I have to do the same with some of your ammo."

"Woah, super powered shells?! Want!"

"Only four for now, and only the MPAT's, since they make a nice boom."

"Can I shoot one?!" she asked eagerly.

"Yes, yes, but I need Ellie to come here."

"Huh?" she tilted her head. "Why?"

"You'll see," he winked. "You can actually call her in through that PA panel, kay? Tell her to call her higher ups to tell them not to start another world war, because we'll be experimenting."

" _Verstanden_!" she saluted and ran off.

Toshiro in turn rummaged the ammo pile and pulled four DM12 rounds out of a crate with Bundeswehr markings. He bundled them together and infused them with his fire magic, to the point that they started shining like 1000-watt lights. After the lightshow stopped, the rounds only glowed slightly orange.

"This will make a bang bigger than anything I've tried to fire yet in my world…" he said to himself, and looked as Elsa ran to him.

"Woooooo… Shiiiiinyyyy… Can I touch them?"

"No," he answered with a straight face.

"Buuuut Tooooshiroooo!"

"Okay, but be careful," he smiled and gave her one round.

"Weeee! Hey, it's kind of warm! And has a weird fuzzy feeling…"

"It's because it's filled to the brim with my magic. Well, one type of it anyway."

"So why do we need the commander again?" Elsa asked with a cutesy smile.

Toshiro tugged her nose a bit and said, "I told you to wait and see, you persistent little shit."

Elsa giggled and said, "Impossible that I'm her granddaughter, huh?"

"Fate simply played the joke of the millennium to swap the characters of the grandchildren of Trude and Erica," Toshiro giggled. "You're cute in your own way, Elsa. Each of you girls is unique, and even Shinobu isn't a carbon copy of Mio."

"Yup, that's true. If we were exactly like our grandmothers, it would probably be unbearable…"

"Tell me… You would probably still be on family names by this time," Toshiro sighed. "But hey, given a year, you would probably turn out best buds anyway!" he laughed.

"It's magnificent how we became friends so fast, Toshiro. I mean, we've been together not even for two weeks, and even Miss Agent and Sieglinde are being rather talkative to all of us. But you probably know why that happened, right?"

"Is her name a palindrome?" Toshiro asked with a wild grin.

"Hahahah! Yes!" Elsa laughed. "It's because Aya was so pitiful, everyone focused on helping her, and not on interpersonal conflicts, the result of which you can see now."

"Or hear it in the night if you're awake…" Toshiro muttered.

"Hmm?"

"No, nothing," Toshiro waved his hand. "Let's wait for that Ellie…"

"It's a bit brisk here, Toshiro…"

"Well then…" he embraced her. "That enough?

The Karlslander giggled and said, "I wanted to ask you to warm up the air around us, but this also works…"

She embraced him in return, and said, "I want back home already…"

"Patience, Elsa, patience… Tomorrow we'll know everything…"

 ** _"_** ** _I thought I told you something?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Bite my shiny middle aged ass! The girl needs some comforting!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah, yeah… Amazing you've bothered with superheating stuff before infusing it with magic…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I can't exactly parade with my Celestial Order powers, can I?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You can, but the aftermath would be your own mess to clean up."_**

 ** _"_** ** _And that's why I precisely won't – cause it would be a bother…"_**

* * *

After a while, the small side door of the hangar opened, and Ellie came in.

"Well, not to comfortable are we, Toshiro?" she looked at the two embracing each other.

"Elsa was cold," he shrugged. "Anyway, good that you're here, I want to test something out."

"What, did you construct a nuke?" she smirked.

"Actually, I can make a nuke out of certain rather easily available materials, but that would be environmentally dangerous," he explained. "Elsa, take your cannon, and I'll take two shells. Ellie, please open the main door so we can exit."

"I hope you're not going to fire that cannon at ground targets? The surrounding area is somewhat densely populated."

"Yeah, I know, I studied the map of your whole engagement area. There's no way I could fire it elsewhere than up."

"But you know… Gravity and whatnot…" Ellie said with a bit of distrust.

"I'll take care of that," he winked. "Now, chop chop, fireworks await."

"Yay!" Elsa cheered.

A minute later, the three were standing on the taxiway connected to the runway, slightly covered in freshly fallen snow.

"Okay Elsa, load this puppy, but for the love of every possible god, do not fire right now."

"If you say so…" she said as she took the shell and stuck it up the rear of the cannon. "So, what should I do to fire?"

"Set your inherent magic to its maximum output, and prepare for a recoil force that will squeeze the shit out of your bowels."

"Is this safe?" Ellie asked concerned.

"Perfectly safe, since she's stronger than me during the Second Neuroi War when I first fired such enhanced rounds," Toshiro smiled. "Wow, I just realized it…"

 _"_ _Took you some fucking time, T-man…"_

 _"_ _Oh shut it…"_

"Oh, now that's a compliment that I'll take for a shiny penny!" Elsa grinned. "Anything else?"

"Aim under a sixty degree incline and… I think that's all."

Toshiro reached into one of his pockets and pulled out three pairs of earplugs, which he made on the spot.

"Trust me, you'll need them," he said as the two took them surprised, and once he himself plugged his ears, he patted Elsa on the shoulder.

She nodded, and pressed a button on the handle of her cannon. After a second, the canister housing the round fell on the ground, and Elsa raised the cannon upwards.

Once she pressed the trigger, the cannons spat a ten-meter long fire from the muzzle break-less barrel, and it was accompanied by a shockwave that swept the snow clear of the runway in a twenty-meter radius. Elsa however made it unscathed, although she unwillingly squatted a bit due to the recoil. Ellie was careless enough not to hold her hat, so she was now running across the taxiway, chasing it.

Toshiro patted Elsa, who was now looking at the orange trail behind the flying round with her mouth wide open, on the shoulder and pointed at his ears.

They removed their earplugs at the same time, and Elsa asked, "Whaaaaaaaaat?"

"Nice, huh? Now wait until it reaches the peak of its trajectory."

"Got it!" Ellie shouted as she caught her cap, and she finally looked up. "Woooooaaaah…"

Toshiro's hand flared up with a slowly burning flame and he snapped his fingers.

At an altitude of ten thousand meters, the magic filled DM12 Multi-Purpose Anti-Tank round detonated, forming a uniformly orange and slightly over a kilometer in radius fireball. The two spectators were absolutely stunned, and Toshiro approached Ellie from behind and plucked the earplugs out of her ears, removing his own shortly afterwards.

"Nice, huh?" he asked.

"If you used that on the big Neuroi, you would kill it in one blow…" she said amazed.

"Unfortunately, I haven't included a Neuroi the size of a small city into my stay here," he smiled. "Well, anywho, now you'll be necessary for the next test."

"Me?"

"You will use your Final Art, and we'll see if my little they is worth a crooked pfennig," Toshiro said mysteriously.

"If you'll make a bigger bang, I'm in!"

"Oh, me too!" Elsa added her two cents. "I want to fire it!"

"Sadly, you can't, this is a bit dangerous, since we're threading upon unknown land now," he said firmly. "I can't let you get hurt, even if Aya is behind the proverbial corner to help you."

"Baaaaawww… Okay…" she said as she handed over the cannon to him. "But I can watch, right? Riiiight?!"

"Yeah, of course you can... Give me that round, and let's fucking do it!"

"So I guess I have to do this…" she said as she placed her hand on the chassis of the enormous gun, and her animal features popped up.

"Load round, Elsa!" Toshiro commanded.

" _Verstanden_!" Elsa saluted and popped the round into the cannon.

Toshiro pressed the autoloader button, and just after two seconds, he was almost ready to fire. He put his earplugs back into his ears, with the girls following his example quickly. Once he raised the gun perpendicular to the ground, he flared up with his Celestial Aura, and formed a big orange shield with a black-white border five meters before the barrel.

He could feel Ellie's tension as his finger slowly squeezed the trigger button. Toshiro pressed it, and at the same time, he diluted time.

The 120 mm round flew out of the barrel amongst a big flame, and at the same time, it started expanding itself. Just before it touched the shield, it was already 120 centimeters in diameter width and four meters long. Once it came in contact with the shield, it absorbed it completely and started glowing even more intensively, flying upward at an enormous speed, leaving and orange-black-white helical trail of magic.

Toshiro placed the cannon on the ground, pointed at his ears, crossed his arms, and pointed at the flying projectile. He was still using his aura, so he made a pistol from his fingers, and when his payload reached forty kilometers, he snapped his thumb as if it was a pistol hammer.

Dark and white streaks of energy released from the projectile, and it exploded with the magnificence of a thermonuclear bomb, engulfing over four trillion cubic meters of air in a flame as hot as the surface of the sun. Escaping the laws of physics, the bang could be heard immediately, despite the ear protection the three had, and the blast wave, reaching barely sixty kilometers per hour, flung the unlucky Ellie's hat once again, as she was busy shielding her eyes from the intense light of the explosion.

 ** _"_** ** _Hoohoo, sonny, you dun did made a nice bang!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _So I guess my theory was proven. But I didn't think that that remote magic infusion would work so well…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You're capable of many things, Toshiro. But for now, let's turn off the lightshow, because people are already calling Rapture."_**

 ** _"_** ** _How long would it stay up on it's own?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Another minute and a half. It's a self-sustaining reaction, fueled by your Celestial Aura after all."_**

 ** _"_** ** _After all? Is it THAT powerful?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _It pains me to say this again, but in due time, Toshiro…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Motherf… I give up… Livy, kill me."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I won't, Master…"_** Livy chimed in.

 ** _"_** ** _Was worth a try…"_**

The enormous light orb disappeared from the sky smoothly in five seconds, and the girls started looking up into the sky again.

" _Kurwa_ …" Ellie gasped.

" _Lieber Gott_ (Dear God)…" Elsa muttered. "What did we just witness?"

"Ellie's Final Art seems to work on a principle of non-volatile matter expansion, so if the shell got increased ten times, and the therefore created matter gets saturated with magic in a proportional scale to the previous one… Well, the results you saw, although it was too flashy even for me." Toshiro explained calmly.

"You sure deserve all those titles…" Ellie muttered. "I hope the commies aren't stirring a shitstorm right now."

"Hey, you warned them, right?"

"I warned them that there might me some… small disturbances, not an explosion like from a damn hydrogen bomb!" Ellie yelled.

"Mmmmyeeeaaaaaaaah… You're right. We should return to the office ASAP, and see if the phone didn't get any redder," Toshiro smiled and picked the cannon up.

 **Before the main building entrance**

"Shiiiiiiiiiiit… Was that Toshiro's doing?" Shinobu asked.

"Yeah, Grandpa is capable of such fireworks," Aya confirmed.

"Good that you caught Katie in the corridor, Tatiana," Sieglinde said.

"And that we stayed after the first shot," Angela added. "Alissa, do you think that kind of power is usable in combat?"

"With enough precautions, it is indeed possible," she answered with a straight face. "But it's highly impractical and dangerous. One miscalculation and poof, a city gets blown away from the face of the earth."

"So I guess that's a no?" Katie asked.

"Grandpa won't risk so greatly, that's for sure," Aya answered. "He can risk his own life, but not other peoples'."

"Snap, that would prove damn useful…" Katie muttered. "Oh well then, I guess the fireworks are over?"

"They are moving towards the hangar, so I guess they stopped firing," Tatiana said and the antenna above her head disappeared.

"Back inside then, ladies," Alissa said. "You'll get a cold, and that would be a tragic event in eve of tomorrow's potential battle."

"Yup, back inside everyone!" Shinobu commanded. "Dinner has to be made."

 **Ten minutes later**

 **Corridor**

"I hope the girls won't jump on me, either in a good way or a bad way…" Toshiro muttered as he pressed the door handle.

The door opened smoothly and almost completely quietly, and Toshiro immediately saw and felt the stares of the girls, hungering for answers. But to his relief, he wasn't swarmed immediately.

"I explained the girls what's what more or less," Alissa said after she saw his puzzled expression.

"Figures…" he sighed. "But you know - you saved me some mouthwork."

"Always there for ya," Alissa winked.

"Hmm… Where's Tanya?" Ellie asked.

"Oh, she, Elwyn, and Angela are holed up somewhere," Giulietta said. "They just came out for the fireworks. Oh, and Kola joined them too."

 _"_ _Angela… Tatiana… But Elwyn? And Kola!?"_

 _"_ _If you're thinking what I'm thinking, it's probable that she also possesses some talent towards the same things as the other two. But Kola?"_

 _"_ _And she said she has something to do. Yup, let's see how this evolves. But Kola's involvement is indeed a mystery to me…"_

 _"_ _You think they're having an orgy right now?"_

 _"_ _Hoooo hoooo! Now look who's talking! Who's the perv now, huh?"_

 _"_ _Oh, wait a second, they're not."_

 _"_ _Hey, lemme see!"_

 _"_ _Nope, a surprise is a surprise, Bub."_

 _"_ _Yuuuukiiiii… How about I send you into a dark oblivion outside of time and space?"_

 _"_ _You wouldn't…"_

 _"_ _A man can only take so much, Yuki. So, a peek?"_

 _"_ _Nooooooooooooope."_

 ** _"_** ** _Livy?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Master, be the better person and back down."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Et tu Livy?! For fucks sake, time to die…"_**

Toshiro sighed deeply and crashed on his bunk.

"What's wrong, Toshiro?" Elsa asked.

"I'm a bit tired," Toshiro said, which wasn't quite a lie.

"Ah, right, that's obvious," she smiled. "Aya, let's do stuff!" she cheered towards her friend.

"How about we help the two in the kitchen?" Aya asked.

"Kay!"

"Grandpa, take your rest, okay?" Aya asked.

"Yeah, will do…" he waved his hand lazily. "Have fun peeling spuds."

"Everything's fun in the right company!" Elsa cheered again and dragged Aya out of the room hastily.

"Ugh, the youth spirit…" he sighed. "Wish I had thirty years less on my back…"

"So you could hump everyone here without such a heavy conscience?" Alissa asked.

"That too," he snickered.

"Did someone say the word "hump"?" Sieglinde asked suddenly, peeking at Toshiro from his side.

"When did you get here?" he asked. "And more importantly, why are you implying immoral things in the middle of the day?"

"I'm simply bored, Toshiro. How about we hit the weights?"

"I'm really tired, Sieglinde, give me a break. You saw that big blast, right? Right."

"Then maybe after dinner, kay?" she grabbed his hand. "I liked training at your side."

"Or course, Sieglinde. After dinner we can do stuff."

"Woohoo! Awesome, thanks!" Sieglinde shouted satisfied. "Oh, I'll stop bothering you, okay?"

"Show me your tits, and we're good."

"To you, every time," she smiled and grabbed the first button of her shirt.

"Sieglinde, for crying out loud," Alissa said angrily. "Shoo, you harlot!"

"Oh ooookaaaay… But I just wanted to show off my body!"

"Yeah, yeah, and pigs fly. Scoot already or I'll make you wear a pink dress."

"Eeeeek!" Sieglinde screamed and ran over to her bunk, and dug herself under her covers.

"Guess her femininity is something she doesn't like to show off?" Toshiro asked confused.

"She'd rather go naked than in something remotely girlish," Alissa smirked.

"Ho boy…" Toshiro said and a metaphorical cog moved in his brain.

 ** _"_** ** _Kye dearest…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You're at it again, you hopeless idealist…"_**

 **Dining hall**

 **Dinnertime**

The time to eat rolled in quickly, and the two girls that undertook the cooking duties initially plus their surprise helpers started serving a true feast.

"We'll probably starve for supper…" Giulietta muttered.

"Don't worry, there's enough for a dinner tomorrow," Shinobu winked.

"Would be nice if we could attend one in this exact bunch," Katie smiled. "What do you think, Ellie?"

"Leave tomorrow for tomorrow, today we don't give a fuck!"

"Hahaha! This is something rare!" Katie laughed. "Let's stuff ourselves and have fun!"

"While we're at the topic of fun…" Tatiana mused. "There's something we prepared for after-dinner…"

"Oh, so that's what you were doing up until now?" Ellie asked. "Mmm… My soon-to-be-daughter preparing entertainment… This should be fun."

"Heheh… Thanks Mommy…" Tatiana blushed vividly.

"Let's eat then," Toshiro said

* * *

Post meal, Tatiana stood up, and Kola with her. They went out to the part of the dining hall where there was a lot of free space and bowed slightly.

"Ready, Tanya?" he whispered.

"Ready," she smiled and took a deep breath. " _Kalinka, kalinka, kalinka moya_ (Little guelder rose, guelder rose of mine)! _V sadu yagoda malinka, malinka moya_ (In the garden, raspberry, little raspberry of mine) _!"_ she sang with a strong voice, and at the same time, he started doing some kind of dance.

"What's that?" Marie asked Aya quietly as Kola repeated his two verses for the second time.

"Oh, what?" Aya shook her head. "The song or dance?" she asked at the third repetition.

"Both."

"The song is an old folk song, _Kalinka_. And I think the dance is the Cossacks dance," Aya explained at the fourth repetition, and then Tatiana took over.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" she sang in an opera worthy vibrato with her eyes closed. " _Pod sosnuyu, pod zelenoyu_ (Under the pine, the green one) _. Spat' polozhite vy menya_ , (Lay me down to sleep)"

"Woooow…" Ellie said amazed. "What a beautiful voice…"

Hearing that, Tatiana opened her eyes, and with a glad face, she thundered along, " _Aaaaaaaaaaj_!"

"Kola's got nice moves," Toshiro whispered to Aya. "Did you know he's capable of that?"

"Nope, but on the other hand, I never asked," she giggled. "Grandpa, let's watch."

"Yeah…"

At the parts where Kola sung the chorus, he danced slowly, but when Tatiana was singing, he jumped, kicked, and spun around magnificently. As he sung the last syllable of the last chorus part, both of them shouted, "HEY!" and bowed.

The small audience did the obvious, and stood up in a thunder of applause. Tatiana went so red in the face that she quickly ran to Ellie and burrowed it on her chest. The slightly confused Leh simply patted her on the head slowly.

Kola in turn returned to his seat, and Aya immediately jumped onto his lap asking, "Kola, where did you learn that?"

"Ah, I never told you that my padre was a Mizhkrainian Cossack?"

"No!" Aya shouted.

"Hahaha! Then now I told you!" he laughed loudly. "That's part of my cultural heritage, so it's natural I should know it."

"Guys, you'll talk later, Angela and I are on now!" Elwyn pointed at herself proudly and ran on to the spot where Tatiana and Kola performed.

"Singing again?" Toshiro asked.

"Yes," Angela said a bit shyly. "I hope you won't treat us too harshly."

"Hey, you're just aspiring to be a singer now; you can make mistakes as long as you learn from them," he replied.

"Heh... Good motivation, Toshiro. But Elwyn sings the first verse," Angela winked and joined her friend.

Elizabeth tilted her head and asked, "She can sing?"

"These boobs are there for a reason!" Elwyn thundered with a voice of unusual depth. "Shut up, and listen!"

 _"_ _Now this will be interesting indeed…"_

Once the girls calmed themselves down, Elwyn nodded towards Angela, and took a deep breath.

"Aaaaamaaaaaziiing Graaaaaaaaaceeee!" Elwyn roared with a melodic and deep, but somehow smooth voice. "Hoooooow sweeeeet theee souuuund!"

As on command, everyone looked at Giulietta, who in turn slid down on her chair under the table so much that only the top of her head was visible.

"Now that's a good voice if I've heard one… Sound a bit _black_ , if you know what I mean…" Toshiro pondered.

"Yeah, she sounds like a church singer…" Katie scratched her chin. "And believe me; I heard some hymns back in the US of L. Unlike Lehistan…"

"What can you help, an atheist country," he shrugged. "Much like me anyway."

 ** _"_** ** _I'm offended…"_** Kye stated.

 ** _"_** ** _Me too, Master,"_** Livy added.

 ** _"_** ** _Me three, for any reason, Bub."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh, hi Ami! You never call!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I'm busy, my dear savior of the world. Being the Queen of Gods here is tiresome…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You say that as if it was a 9-to-5 job…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You wanted to severe your ties with us gods, and boom, there you have it. How about reconsidering that, huh? I'm kinda lonely…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You are lonely, Ami? Hard to believe that amongst thousands of gods, you haven't found somebody suitable for you…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _No need to be sarcastic… The Western gods don't seem to like me; the Eastern ones revere me too much to hit on me…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _So you're saying you're saving yourself for me?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh shut the fuck up, or I'll smite you!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Please, refrain yourself from smiting my Master. You may be his initial patron goddess, but now he's under the Allgod's protection."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Right, right… Sorry, Livy, Toshiro…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _But hey, we can hang out if you want, Ami. How about tonight, huh? Your realm, just the two of us like good old times."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh… Okay, we're set! Don't try to weasel out!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _But remember that before that, I could have an encounter with a sexy lady…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh you greasy perv… Nothing changed, really. See you later."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Bye, Ami."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Now that was random."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Indeed, Kye."_**

Toshiro ended his telepathic conference just in time for Angela to start the second verse.

"'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear…" she sang with a velvet smooth voice, with slightly dark timbre.

"What a voice…" Toshiro gasped. "Just like Minna…"

"It surprised me too, Toshiro," Tatiana whispered. "She has a spinto soprano just like Raina Kabaivanska, very rare…"

"Yeaaaah…" Toshiro nodded and looked at Sieglinde. "Hey, Sieglinde."

"Hmm?" she tilted her head back.

"What are you wearing under your clothes?"

"Grandpa!" Aya pricked him in the side.

"Nothing I can't be seen in," Sieglinde replied with a straight face. "Planning something?"

"You know what we two have in common?"

"Nationality?"

"That too."

"Uhhh… Dunno?"

"Hint – you're proud of your own thing."

Sieglinde ruffled her eyebrows, but then it hit her, "Oh, you mean that? What are you thinking of?"

"Just trust me, and let's wait till the performance ends, kay?"

"Sure thing, Toshiro."

The girls were mesmerized by the performance of the two, with Kola not being different. The two singers joined their efforts for the last two lines.

 **Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,**

 **And mortal life shall cease;**

 **I shall possess, within the veil,**

 **A life of joy and peace.**

 **The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,**

 **The sun forbear to shine;**

 **But God, who call'd me here below,**

 **Will be forever mine.**

They pulled the strings in the hearts of most of the girls, as the lyrics coincided heavily with the current situation, because they started to cry and clap their hands thunderously at the same time. The scene moved Angela and Elwyn, so they sought refuge in Alissa's and Giulietta's arms respectively.

"Girls! Sieglinde and I also have something to show," Toshiro said.

"Please, just don't sing!" Aya pled through tears.

"Oh don't worry; it will be something more for the eyes," he smirked. "Follow me, Sieglinde," he grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen.

"Now now, Toshiro, I hope we won't be doing it when all the girls and Kola are out there?" she asked with a sultry voice.

"Can it, Sieglinde, you know what I want us to do."

"Yeah, I figured it out," she started unbuttoning her shirt. "I guess I'll have to be a good girl around you for a bit. I heard spontaneous boners can be painful…"

"Well no shit…" he sighed and started stripping down himself.

When both of them only had their underwear on, plus a bra for Sieglinde, Toshiro said, "Damn we're hot."

"Good that I don't have any visible signs of arousal…" Sieglinde muttered.

"Well, your nips are bulging, but that can be attributed to a few other things," Toshiro snickered.

"We're going or not?"

"Only one question – do you know your thing well?"

"Of course I do! Do you know my thing?"

"I have a wide area of interests," he winked. "Let's go!"

* * *

Sieglinde opened the door, and Toshiro followed her out into the dining hall.

"Ellie, do you have a camera?!" Aya asked quietly and nervously.

"Yes, in my desk. Why are you asking?"

"I promised Sigi that I would take pics of her in such an event!"

"Then go and fetch it…" Ellie said, and in a second, Aya held her Nikon F3/T. "Well now… You sure are fast."

Aya smiled, and looked at the two, as all the rest did.

" _Mon Dieu…"_ Marie gasped, as she looked at Toshiro in his slightly tight briefs "I've never seen a man this naked before…"

"Not even your father?" Elizabeth asked.

"That doesn't count…"

"Waaaant…" Giulietta said making grabby movements with her hands.

"What exactly?" Elsa asked. "Sigi's boobs or maybe… Heheh…"

"Actually… I don't know!" she panicked.

"Okay, ladies and gent, can we two have some silence?" Toshiro asked, and after a few seconds, in which the _audience_ silenced down, he said, "Good, thank you. There are not many things that two almost naked persons can do in public, but before you're minds run wild, I'll explain that we're going to show off our muscles in a semi-professional manner."

"I hope not all of them…" Marie muttered.

"I heard that," Toshiro smirked. "It's not a muscle by the way."

Marie's face reddened so fast that she almost fainted from the sudden movement of blood to her face, but she managed to watch the two before her consciously.

"I wish that there was some music…" Sieglinde mumbled. "I somehow feel odd…"

"Aya?" Toshiro asked.

"On it!" she disappeared, and reappeared beside a plugged in radio. "We're in luck, Grandpa!" she cheered and the first tunes of a powerful guitar riff.

"Let's do it, Sieglinde!" Toshiro shouted.

"Roger!"

"Front Lat Spread!" he commanded, and they stood with their legs spread to the front, and with arms in a semi-loop in front of their stomachs.

"Jesus Christ Almighty!" Elwyn shouted. "I didn't know Sieglinde is so jacked!"

"I never showed you my full potential," the Karlslander winked.

"Front Double Biceps!" Toshiro said.

They raised their arms, flexing their muscles. Toshiro's muscles bulged from under his thin skin almost like two watermelons, but Sieglinde was also a sight to see.

Marie was looking at them, breathing heavily, but Aina and Tatiana were almost as excited as the Gallian.

"Side Chest!"

Siegline turned to her right, and Toshiro to his left, and they both flexed their arm and legs on the side visible to the viewers, with the legs slightly raised.

"Holy fuck… Monsters…" Shinobu gasped. "I never saw a woman so ripped…"

"Rear Lat Spread!" Toshiro said.

The two turned around and rested their arms on their sides, flexing their quads and glutes.

"That ass… Oh my… Hold me, or I'll just jump at heeeeer…" Giulietta squealed and tumbled around in her chair.

"Calm down, sheesh…" Elsa flicked her forehead.

"Kay… Kay..."

"Rear Double Biceps!"

Now they flexed their arms upwards again, and moved their better-developed legs slightly out.

"I wonder how long I would have to work for that kind of body…?" Kola asked himself aloud.

"Two years!" Toshiro shouted. "I give you two years with your current development!"

"Damn he has good ears…" Kola mumbled.

"Side Triceps!"

They turned to the sides, and flexed their arms slightly behind their backs, as well as the calves of their legs.

"I'm out…" Marie said quietly and slumped on the table unconsciously.

"Hey, Maries, is everything okay?" Aina asked.

"Abdominal and Thigh!"

The two faced the viewers forwards, placed their hands behind their heads and flexed their abs, both showing rock hard turtle shells.

"Good night…" Aina mumbled and fell beside her Gallian friend.

"My, the girls are sure reacting a bit too over the top…" Ellie noted. "How are you doing, Tanya?"

"Uuugh…" she pulled her collar. "I'm fine… I think…"

"Come on my lap. If you have to faint, do it there."

"Oh!" she quickly jumped over to her lap.

"And the grand finale!" Toshiro shouted and both he and Sieglinde leaned their upper body a bit forward in a traditional crab pose, flexing all their muscles to the brink.

"Ooooh…" Tatiana peeped and started falling forward, but Ellie embraced her and kept her tight before her chest.

"Boooooooooooobs…" Giulietta winced. "And man boobs!"

"Oh shut uuup…" Elsa moaned and slapped her on the back of her head.

"And that was _Eye of the Tiger_ from the band _Survivor_ …" the disc jockey from the radio said. "And now…"

Aya quickly turned off the radio and said, "Everything documented," and showed Sieglinde the camera.

"I totally didn't see you taking pics!" Sieglinde shouted.

"Bah! But hey, everyone, didn't you forget about something?"

The girls looked around each other, and then everyone who could stood up and started clapping. Toshiro looked at Sieglinde, whose cheeks slowly started dripping with tears. She herself looked at Toshiro, and she swiftly jumped at him and kissed him on the lips. Before he could protest, she stopped her kiss and hugged him, to the increasing magnitude of the applause and wild cheers.

"Thanks you, Toshiro…" she whispered. "Let's go back, okay?"

"Sure, Sigi," he smiled.

"Ohhhhhh… It sounds so nice when you call me that…"

"We're going back to dress ourselves," Toshiro said to the rest. "Don't intrude please."

"I'll keep them at bay," Alissa said. **"Dude, you really want to do that?"**

 **"** **Hey, I can die tomorrow, might as well have some fun, am I right?"**

 **"** **Have at it then, Bro…"**

The two entered the kitchen, with Sieglinde still wrapped around Toshiro.

"Close your eyes, Sieglinde," he said with a sensual voice.

"Oh my… T-Toshiro… I h-hope you're not trying to do something lewd?"

"You'll have to trust me," he smiled.

Sieglinde smiled too, and she closed her eyes. Toshiro felt his body changing, and he said, "Open your eyes."

She opened her eyes quickly and saw Toshiko before her.

"Well hi there, Sigi."

"T-Toshiro? H-How is this possible?"

"Godly connections, Sigi. And my name is Toshiko right now."

"Oh, okay… S-So… Why did you change right now?"

"Want to make out?"

Sieglinde's eyes opened widely and she pushed herself forward, sending both to the floor. She used her initiative, and planted her lips on Toshiko's. As Alissa didn't supply her with a bra, Sieglinde quickly started fondling Toshiko's breasts.

 _"_ _Damn, she's horny… Hope she doesn't go down on me… That would probably piss of Yoshika…"_

Toshiko let Sieglinde go loose, but when her hand started wandering dangerously low, she said, "Let's stop there, okay."

"Oh, sorry, sorry… We got a bit too far anyway… I hope your wife won't mind?"

"She would if we crossed the line," Toshiko giggled. "But for that, you'd better take Nami or Giulietta this evening."

"Yeah… My last chance to get some action. I mean, hypothetically."

"Is that why you kissed me in the first place?"

"Back before the rest?" she asked. "No, no… I was just happy that I had my first show before my friends…"

"You never did such a thing? You were a natural!"

"Heh, I practiced in secret…" she blushed. "I think we should get dressed already."

"Turn around then. And get off me, or I'll have a lady boner."

Sieglinde giggled and listened to Toshiko.

"You can turn around," Toshiro said after a few seconds.

"I do prefer you as a man after all," Sieglinde laughed.

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	54. Chapter 54 – Gym Jam

Chapter 54 – Gym Jam

* * *

Toshiro was looking at Ellie, who was sitting on Tatiana's bunk, holding her unconscious future daughter sitting between her legs and leaned over on her.

 **"** **Truly like mother and child… A weird age configuration, but the feelings sure powerful between them."**

 **"** **It invokes my fondest memories of maternity…"**

 **"** **Do tell, Kye?"**

 **"** **In any of my incarnations, I always loved my children from the bottom of my heart. Taking care of myself for nine months, a brief moment of pain, and the little thing that I've been keeping under my heart pops out of me. Trust me, Toshiro – when a mother hears the first cry of her child, she immediately forgets all the negative aspects of the pregnancy and labor, and fills up with the greatest love of all – the one towards one's own child…"**

 **"** **I somehow know what you mean… I was at Yoshika's side, holding her hand all the time, at times risking my fingers, heheh… She was exhausted like fuck, but I almost felt her love towards the three infants she held in her arms… But tell me, Kye, how many times were you reborn? And you still haven't told me about your life as Alissa Maya…"**

 **"** **I'll tell you all about my life, nothing barred, when the time's right, Toshiro."**

 **"** **Absolutely no secrets withheld?"**

 **"** **Absolutely. Unless She decides to black out some info."**

 **"** **She, huh? It's good to know that there's somebody that keeps you on a leash, hahaha!"**

 **"** **Yeah, yeah…"**

 **"** **But then the natural question arises – who's controlling the controller?"**

 **"** **Let's not go this meta, Toshiro… You have more important things to worry about, than some things that totally don't concern you."**

 **"** **Right… Tomorrow… But last time, you told me that everything will end well, why not give me a hint now?"**

 **"** **This time it's different, Toshiro, very different… But let's leave that alone, shall we? Sieglinde is skulking towards you."**

 **"** **Oh is she…"**

Toshiro looked down and saw Sieglinde peeking up his bunk.

"Sup?" he asked. "Back for more?"

"Eheheh, no, I'm just here to ask you if you still want to work out with me…"

"Why not? What's wrong with that?"

"Dunno… Your age?" she asked shyly.

"I would kick your ass in every possible way, Sigi."

"Oh shush, don't call me like that before everyone…"

"Sigi's blushing!" Elsa cheered.

"No I'm not! It's hot in here!" she protested.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"W-What's the ruckus…?" Marie opened her eyes slowly. "Oh, I'm in bed?"

"Well hi there," Toshiro said.

"Oh…" Marie blushed immediately. "S-Sorry for fainting like that… I… I'm not used to…"

"Okay, okay…" he interrupted. "I could have worn looser undies, and that's a fact."

"Don't tell me you fainted because you ogled Toshiro's package?" Sieglinde asked slyly.

Marie reddened on her face further and hid under her cover.

"Don't pick on her, Sigi. You see that she's rather unexperienced."

"Yeah, okay, sorry… So we're kicking off in a few minutes?" she asked.

"Indeed, we are."

"Oh, I can join in too!" Aya raised her hand.

"Might as well…" Shinobu said lazily. "Ah, but we might as well all hit the gym."

"But only in a recreational manner, and only those who want to," Ellie noted. "I don't want you to have your muscles torn tomorrow."

"Woah, thanks, Ellie!" Sieglinde shouted. "Uh… S-Sorry ma'am…"

"Nah, whatever… You all can call me by my first name," she smiled. "Actually, everyone has to, that's an order!"

"Yes ma'am!" every witch awake shouted.

"Talk about respect…" Elizabeth mumbled. "I fold, fuck this shit…"

"Heheheh, the elder cousin is always the best," Katie smirked and showed her hand. "Tough luck."

"I so had the better cards," Elizabeth sighed. "One more!"

"Okay, last one before we go!" Katie cheered wildly.

On the other side of the room, Aina yawned as she opened her eyes.

"This view is familiar…" she muttered to herself. "But where's…" she peeked over to the top bunk. "Oh, hi ma'am."

"Call me Ellie."

"What did I miss?"

"Just a little proclamation of mine, ordering you all to call me by my give name," Ellie giggled. "Is that doable?"

"Yeah, sure," Aina smiled. "You two look gorgeous."

"Thanks…" Ellie blushed slightly, but without losing her overall composure. "The girls want to hit the gym for fun, so you can join them if you like."

"Good idea. I want to have some fun while I can after all."

"You Suomi girls are usually more reserved towards people," Ellie said.

"Not every quadrangle is a rectangle," Aina shrugged. "Blame the movies I watch for being more emphatic."

"Ah, yes, Tatiana told me about your love for cinematography."

"Oh you little spy…" the Suomi snickered after looking at the unconscious Orussian. "But I guess as a commander, you have to know such details… I bet she told you about _that_ thing too?"

"Yes… How are you putting up with such a tragedy?"

"Connect the dots, Ellie. My movies are a form of escapism… I have to put my mind on something, or else I would blame myself for his death all the time…"

"I see…" Ellie said quietly. "But you know you should be proud of Eric."

"I am. He is a true hero, and I hope that if there is some form of afterlife that he has the best possible deal… But that's just wishful thinking of me…"

Ellie's hand landed on Aina's head suddenly and she said, "We all have our experiences with losses, Aina. Nevertheless, we have to live not for the dead, but for the living that surround us."

Aina crawled up on the bunk and hugged Ellie tightly and silently.

 **"** **Daaaaaaawwwwww… I say, Ellie is like the proverbial Lehish Mother…"**

 **"** **She will be soon. If of course tomorrow goes by our favor."**

 **"** **Livy, tell me the future."**

 **"** **The future is either black or white, Master."**

 **"** **You two are in a conspiracy…"**

 **Commander's office**

 **Two hours later**

After Tatiana woke up and ran away to her friends, Ellie decided to resume her duties and _guard_ the phone on her desk. It was up until now that it was silent, but the metallic ringing interrupted the serenity of her office. Ellie picked up the receiver and asked, "Yes?"

"Agent W-151?" a gruff voice asked.

Cold sweat immediately befell Ellie, and she answered, "Yes, it's me."

 _"_ _It's Chebrikov himself, what the hell does he want?!"_

"With your track record, I assume that agent W-152 and you both know about agent W-42?"

"Yes sir, I know."

"Good, this will shorten this conversation. Agent W-42 is to know that the deadline for her mission is extended until further notice."

 _"_ _All or nothing…"_

"May I know the reasoning behind that, sir?"

"You may. First of all, there are more important things on hand right now. I won't go delve into why in Lenin's name is she not finished with such an easy task yet. I trust you're not hindering her in her mission, agent W-151?"

"No sir, not in the slightest."

"I do hope you're right. You know what happens to traitors of the KGB?"

"Yes sir."

"Then at ease, agent."

If not for the fact that Ellie was sitting, she would have fallen to the floor from the stress she was submitted to during that short conversation.

 _"_ _Dear Lord… I thought I was a goner the moment he spoke… Oh my… But this means that they're fully conscious that Tanya is slacking off, and maybe even suspecting that she could be up to something. I definitely have to talk with Toshiro and Kola about all of this. But first…"_

Ellie laid down the receiver on its place and ran up to the gym door. Then she calmly opened it, and peeked inside. Almost immediately, she spotted Tatiana resting under the wall, and by some weird stroke of luck, the Orussian looked at her. Ellie waved her in, and the small witch quickly zipped to her, and closed the door behind her.

"What's the matter, Mommy? You look pale…" she asked concerned.

"I should be actually jumping from joy but this put me off balance… Whew. Let's sit down, okay?"

The two squatted near the wall, and Ellie said, "The big boss himself called."

"Chebrikov?" Tatiana gasped. "Oh my…"

"He hung your mission on a nail, Tanya."

"Yay!" she cheered vividly.

"Don't rest on the laurels yet, Tanya… The things is that after tomorrow, we'll be most likely under tight surveillance."

"Ah snap… What a predicament…"

"Indeed… Now, be a good girl, and get me both Toshiro, Kola, and Aya."

"Kay!" she cheered and ran off into the gym.

Ellie waited peacefully, and after a minute, the three in question entered into the corridor.

"What's the matter, Ellie?" Toshiro asked. "Tatiana seemed a bit nervous."

"I'll skip right to the point. Toshiro, you'll use all your abilities to evacuate Kola…" she made a pause and looked at Aya for a few seconds. "… at five AM tomorrow."

"Holy shit… Are they on to us?"

"I suspect the worse, Toshiro," Ellie answered. "The KGB boss himself called me a few minutes ago, postponing Kola's assassination deadline till further notice. I imagine that they could launch a covert operation once we leave for battle tomorrow to extract Kola out of the base. At least that is what I would do."

"I see, say no more."

"Why take the risk and do it tomorrow though?" Kola asked.

"Aya probably can answer that better," Ellie winked.

"I want to spend my possibly last night with you and you alone," Aya said confidently. "If I were to perish, I won't regret anything, and I'll have one less distraction on my mind in battle."

"Right… You're too good to me, Aya…"

"I can smack you in the face to even things out," Toshiro snickered.

"Hah!" Ellie laughed. "My, if that made me laugh, then the situation really is dire… Okay then, I'll go back to my job, and you guys return to your tomfoolery."

"Okay, Ellie," Toshiro said. "Come on you two; let's break some sweat from exercising, not worrying."

"On it, Grandpa!"

 **Gym**

 **1800 MSK**

"Holy shit, look at the time!" Shinobu shouted after looking at her watch. "Girls, let's wrap it up!"

"What's the time?" Sieglinde asked from her "muscle corner."

"Six PM dead."

"Woah, we sure spent some time here. I didn't even notice so much time passed!"

"Time sure flies when you're having fun," Toshiro said and laid down his weights. "Okay, bath time."

"Oh no no, ladies first!" Aya protested. "Have some manners, Grandpa."

"Respect your elders!" Toshiro yelled.

"Don't have anything against that…" Aya mumbled. "But Graaaandpaaa…"

"Didn't you by chance notice I'm just toying with you? Get the girls and soak up, just don't take too long."

"Oh, Grandpa, seriously…" Aya sighed and shook her head with her hand glued to her forehead.

"Come on, Aya," Sieglinde grabbed Aya lightly by the shoulders. "This game you'll always loose because of your utmost respect to Toshiro," she winked covertly towards Toshiro.

"Yes…" Aya sighed again.

Kola and Toshiro waited for the girls to exit the gym, and then the former asked, "Say, how are you going to _evacuate_ me?"

"I'll tell you that over a cold beer," he turned him around towards the doorway. "Forward march, future grandson-in-law!"

Two minutes later, they were sitting over four bottles of freezing cold Zhigulevskoye.

"Now, the operation is simple – you piggy back ride with me to my home, the end."

"Details, please! My mind is churning up a billion of reasons not to do this!"

"Okay, from the damn beginning. You don't have to have any protective suit or anything, not that we have one anyway. My Sacred Flame will take care of that for the both of us, remember?"

"Ah, yes, I remember! But why won't you fly without your Striker then?"

"Just in case. We'll be flying around Mach 10, with active camouflage and radar jamming, and near the Kármán Line to avoid detection, also just in case."

"You're kidding, me, right? How can you even pull that off?"

Toshiro smirked and suddenly a whole keg of Paulaner appeared on the table.

"The same way I made that appear. It's a power connected to a divine entity whom I'm a champion of. I can manipulate matter and the very reality around me easily. Optical camouflage and electromagnetic wave interference are nothing for me."

"Okaaaaaaaay…" he sipped some beer.

"Not impressed?"

"I have to take this easy…" he muttered.

"Heh... Once we are in Karlsland airspace, we'll just drop down to my home, simple. You'll get to meet Yoshika, maybe even Adi is still there."

"Adi?"

"Adolfine Galland, tell me you heard about her…"

"Ahem… Uh…" Kola started looking around nervously. "I actually saw her in an old sports magazine…."

Toshiro smiled wryly and said, "I know which precisely. Bah, I was behind the photographer with her husband when those pics were taken!"

"Really now…" Kola sighed. "Aya sure bound me to herself the hard way…"

"You can't have everything," Toshiro shrugged. "And don't be such a pessimist, Bro! Once you take the vow, maybe she'll loosen up a bit!"

"Whatever works, Toshiro. To be honest, I'm quite content with the current situation. Aya already provided me with so many good emotions…"

"If you said anything else, you'd be counting your teeth on the floor!" Toshiro laughed. "Well, let's get down with that beer!"

" _Zdarovie_! _"_

 _"_ _Prost_! _"_

The two yelled and clinked the bottles together.

"Gentlemen!" Ellie's voice rang clearly from the door, and both the guys looked at her surprised. "May I join… Where the hell did you get a keg of Paulaner?"

"For fucks sake, don't scare us like that!" Toshiro yelled back. "You can join; I just need to prepare it."

"But where from…" Ellie tried to pry, but she just went silent as suddenly three big glasses appeared on the table, along with a tap, which Toshiro slammed into the keg. "Yes?"

"Okay, I forgot you have 1001 tricks handy…" Ellie mumbled. "One please!"

"But in case the phone rings…" Kola asked, but was interrupted.

"I left the door to the office wide open, the corridor has nice acoustics, as you see I left these doors open, and I bet Yuki will hear a phone ringing through the walls."

"How can you be so sure?" Yuki asked rebelliously.

"I just assume you're a good girl, that's all," Ellie shrugged with a smirk plastered to her face.

"Girl she says! Listen here, snot, I'm over a thousand years old! Have respect for your elders!"

"Okay then… Granny…" Ellie tried not to burst into laughter.

"Dear gods…" Yuki sighed. "Anyway, Toshiro's ears are also over par, so I wouldn't be needed that much."

Ellie sat at the table with a triumphant smile.

"Beer up!" Toshiro shouted and gave her a glass.

"Thanks!" she sheered and took a big gulp.

"Hmmm… You sure don't mess around…" Kola muttered.

"I want to have my fun too!" she cheered.

"It's nice to see you kick back and stop giving fucks. You should do it more often, Ellie," Toshiro said.

"I just realized it after that call, Toshiro. In one way or other, my life will change tomorrow, be it dying in battle, or having to run for the proverbial hills. Starting from tomorrow, Eleanor Horbaczewski is no more."

"Indeed, in one way or the other…" Toshiro sighed. "Say, haven't you considered changing your name to fit Lehish grammar rules better?"

"To Horbaczewska? Mom thought of it, but it would be a hassle. The bureaucracy, oy vey!" she waved her hand lazily. "But it's the first time in long somebody has asked me that."

"I ask the weirdest questions, don't mind me," he shrugged. "Hey, how about we bring out something with a bit more _punch_?"

"No, no, I do have to be duty ready anyway, that won't work," Ellie denied adamantly. "You two…" she looked at Kola walking towards them. "…can get drunk, I can't."

"Well, technically I can't get drunk either, but that's something for another discussion," Toshiro winked.

 **Bath**

"Did you really have to sing that, Elwyn?" Giulietta muttered.

"It's a song we both knew how to sing perfectly," Angela answered. "You're fault to yourself for how it turned out for you, Giulietta."

"Yeah, I guess I won't drink a drop in my life again…" she sighed. "But hey, Elwyn, where did you learn to sing so nice?"

"Two years in a gospel choir…" Elwyn blushed furiously all of a sudden. "Yes, a white girl from the south singing gospel, ha-ha…"

"Hmm? What are you implying?" Marie asked.

"That she's not black," Elizabeth said bluntly. "Ring a bell?"

"Ooooh… I think I understand… But what pushed you into it then?" Marie asked a question once more.

"My friend from the neighborhood, definitely not white, persuaded me into it. Damn, would you see how all those singers looked at me when I entered a rehearsal all of a sudden…?"

"But you're not a racist or anything, right?" Marie kept on asking.

"Nah, no… I have a black friend after all, right? It just felt weird to be on the other side of the fence for a turn…"

"Guess your voice was your best recommendation?" Aya asked.

"Yup, exactly. The minister that was present there noticed I had potential, and soon I was treated pretty much like one of their own. Well, and then the Neuroi decided to have a soiree in Europe…"

"Didn't you have trouble juggling your hobbies?" Sieglinde asked.

"Nope, no problem there," Elwyn smiled. "Wait, is this a fucking interrogation or what?!"

"No, not in the slightest…" Alissa mused. "But I have an idea, ladies – after the bath, we hole ourselves up in the bedroom, and just talk to each other."

"Like… individually?" Shinobu asked. "Something like Toshiro did for us?"

"Something like that, but we pick our conversation partners ourselves. This way we can get to know each other even better."

"Good idea!" Katie cheered and raised her hands. "I'll have to drag Ellie into this!"

"An opening!" Giulietta shouted and grabbed Katie's breasts. "Weee, soft!"

"Oh no you fucking don't!" she yelled and heated up her body immensely.

"Yeeeeeow!" Giulietta jumped off Katie, blowing on her hands frantically.

"Put them in the water," Sieglinde smirked.

Giulietta immediately put her hands in the hot water, and she pulled them out even faster yelling, "HOOOOT!"

"Okay, calm down now," Aya said firmly and grabbed the Romagnan's wrist, surprising her.

The Karlslanders hands glowed green and she quickly grabbed Giulietta's hands, receiving a hiss of pain from her, but a second later her face turned mellow.

"Woooo… This feels cold... Heh…" she said in bliss.

"I think we're done," Aya let her hands go. "Yup, looks okay."

Giulietta poked her hand and said, "It doesn't hurt… Thanks, Aya!"

"I just…" Aya couldn't finish because Giulietta grabbed her so tightly the air escaped her lungs.

As Sieglinde shook her fist silently, Aya managed to escape the Romagnan's clutches.

"Whew, you sure are grateful, I say…" she giggled.

"Heh… Sorry…" Giulietta scratched her head.

"I think we had enough already," Alissa noted. "Let's get out."

 **Dining hall**

"And that's more or less how it looked like in my life before I landed here," Ellie said and took a sip of beer.

"Nice life you've lived," Kola noted. "I wish I had it like you."

"Even with dragging along the corpse of my dead friend through several hundred kilometers and joining the KGB?"

"Even that," Kola said with a straight face. "At least you had friends, went to school, had a normal family all the time, and nobody is trying to kill you."

"I suppose you're right, Kola… I really can't put myself in someone else's shoes… What are you looking at?" she asked, and suddenly, Tatiana hugged her from behind. "Oh? Is this my favorite daughter of mine?"

Tatiana giggled and answered, "Yup!"

"Woah!" Sieglinde shouted as she entered the room with Shinobu. "I guess we can't count on a beer?"

Ellie turned around, and said, "Only the two of you? Kola?"

"We're still stocked, Ellie, since…" he patted the barrel on the table with a mysterious smile.

"Then have one on the house, so to speak," she giggled. "Kola?"

"Can't they get them themselves?" he moaned.

"Hey, we're after a hot bath," Shinobu pouted. "We could get sick."

"Ugh, whatever…" Kola moaned again and went to the kitchen.

"Come on, join us if you want," Ellie waved the two in.

"No, no, we have a little event right now, so I'd rather say I want _you_ to join us," Shinobu smiled. "Come on, it will be fun m… Ellie."

"Does this event involve any… physical activity?" Ellie asked.

"If you consider flapping your gums physical activity…" Sieglinde shrugged.

"Okay, I can go, but the door to the bedroom has to be open. Or wherever you're doing this."

"Whatever works," Shinobu said.

Kola came in with the two beers, and Ellie quickly swiped them off his hands, said, "Thanks," with a roguish smile and walked up to the two. "Here you go."

"Thanks," both sounded off at the same time.

"Oh, you two can bathe," Shinobu said. "Aya is already procuring…"

"Have them!" Aya appeared suddenly with bath supplies of both Kola and Toshiro.

"…uhuh…" Shinobu mumbled.

"Let's go then, Kola," Toshiro said as he stood up.

"Yeah, let's boil away a bit after all these beers," he snickered.

"Kola, I hope you won't be drinking too much when this is all over?" Aya asked.

"Only as much as the doctor permits," Kola giggled. "Come on, you won't forbid me drinking? Beer is good for the kidneys!"

"Well, I can't forbid you everything!" Aya laughed briefly. "Okay, there you go," she passed him his stuff. "And here you go, Grandpa."

"Thanks, Aya. Should we join on your little event, whatever it is?"

"I don't think you have to, to be honest… It would be nice if _you_ joined in, Kola."

"Yeah, but I can take my time in the bath. A good warm _banya_ is still something new for me."

"Come on then, you smelly savage!" Toshiro cackled and pushed him forward.

After the two left, Ellie said, "They really get along together nicely."

"Grandpa is probably treating him like a son already," Aya giggled. "Not that Uncle Andrew was treated worse, mind you."

"I bet he doted on him like mad," Ellie said.

"That would be somewhat true, at least to my current knowledge," Aya said. "I see you have some _tongue looseners_?" she looked at Sieglinde and Shinobu.

"More like _throat moisteners_ ," Shinobu said with a straight face, but she giggled nevertheless after a few seconds.

"I'm getting nervous already…" Ellie muttered.

"Nothing to be worried about, Mommy," Tatiana smiled brightly. "Let's go!"

"If _you_ say so, then it has to be true."

"Where will you be going, Grandpa?" Aya asked. "I mean after the bath?"

"Me? I think I'll go and think a bit in the gym, why are you asking?"

"I just want to know where you are," she smiled. "Just in case."

"I'm not going anywhere before 5 AM tomorrow, you can take my word on that."

 **Gym**

 **1915 MSK**

Toshiro sat on one of the training matrasses, basked in the moonlight coming through the high placed windows of the gym.

"Come out, Livy," he said quietly.

He felt his hand being grabbed, and her soft voice said, "I'm here, Master. Should we sit in the darkness like this?"

"The darkness is more intimate, Livy. It also helps me think better, especially on tough topics."

"Are you worried about tomorrow, Master?"

"Who wouldn't be? Everyone who's not a mortal, that's for sure. I can't help but to address all the possible issues popping up randomly in my mind," he sighed. "Will Kye bail on me? Will there be a battle? How strong is Xadeus really? What are the governments of the two greatest world powers planning for tomorrow? And most importantly – will I grow up to the expectations of all around me?"

"So many questions, Master… I wish I could answer all of them."

"Unless it's the Primordial Goddess herself that put a damper on you, you can, Livy," Toshiro smirked. "You are an Elder God yourself; you don't have to worry about anything or anybody."

"Yes, Master, I know. I could as well just erase Xadeus, his army, and his planet out of existence as we speak by just imagining it, but… We agreed that the best way is for you and Mistress Aya to experience the battle on your own…"

"We… So it's Kye after all…" Toshiro sighed. "Why does she have to torture me so much? She already left a world of peace behind her, and she's basically above everything thanks to her powers but… Why?"

"There's always a purpose, Master…" Livy said with a weak voice. "Please don't delve deeper, or I'll… or I'll…"

Toshiro raked her in and embraced her tightly.

"If this is really the best way, then please, Livy – do not feel guilty of anything. If something should happen – let it happen. But if somebody is to perish – let it be me."

"But Master…"

"I lived a good life, Livy. I'm a grandfather already, successfully raising one generation, and helping shape the other. If I were to die tomorrow as the only one, just to stop the Neuroi once and for all – so be it."

"This won't happen," she said suddenly with a cold voice and separated herself from Toshiro.

He was shocked to see that her usually golden eyes now had an iris like a white nebula, with the rest filled with darkness dotted with microscopic white stars. She herself was clad in a Celestial Aura of intensity Toshiro yet not experienced.

"Livy?" he asked surprised.

"I have had it, Master. I can't take this anymore! All this secrecy is infuriating!" she shouted with a thunderous voice.

"Woah, Livy, calm down! Remember who you are! Your raging fit can explode a whole multiverse!"

Suddenly, a mini-Kye appeared at her side, and said, "Livy, please, calm down right now."

"Shut up, Jouten! You don't know how it is to be me! How it is…"

"I'm appealing to your dignity as both an Elder God and as a woman – calm down."

"I just want to tell my Master _everything_..." Livy was breathing heavily. "I just want to…" her aura was losing intensity.

"It's okay, Livy," Jouten grabbed her hand. "Let's talk, okay?"

"Okay…" she said meekly. "I'm sorry, Master…"

"Uuuuuuuuuh… What?" Toshiro said, confused to the nth degree.

"Go back to the girls," Jouten said. "I promise I will return her unharmed."

"I don't know if I should be mad at you, or thank you, Jouten."

"A mixed reception is enough now," she smiled ever so slightly and disappeared with Livy.

 ** _"_** ** _Kye, what did I just witness?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You just witnessed a show of free will of a Homo Telum, Toshiro. Good that Jouten has such a good influence on her, or it could get hairy…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Hairy for you and your motherfucking schemes…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I just couldn't let the same thing happen twice."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Twice?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You'd like to know, huh? No dice."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Is that a memory of something you have taken away once I returned from your shitty simulation?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Shitty?!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I have blanks in my memory the size of Jupiter, for fucks sake!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I see… Then my suspicions are right."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Again with the covert hubbub, bah!"_**

Toshiro's Celestial Aura flared up and he punched the weight on the rack behind him. It flew with blinding speed towards the far wall of the gym, but before it hit it, it exploded in a bright light. The world around him turned monochromatic faster than he could perceive it. He saw an explosion frozen in time where the weight should be. Kye appeared before the explosion in the godly manner, and said, "Yup, this confirms it."

"Holy shit, what is this?!"

"You know how your Atomzerleger works, right?"

"Uh… Removal of the Coulomb force, resulting in matter destruction?"

"Yup, that. But now you surpassed mortal boundaries and shifted to a whole new level of matter manipulation – matter annihilation."

"So that explosion…"

"Instead of the atoms dispersing, they collapse into a lump, and through that, they release their energetic potential, basically a cold nuclear fusion. That weight you punched is enough to send this whole base into the exosphere, Toshiro."

"Oh my…" he fell on his knees.

"Don't worry; I'll undo this little mishap. Along with all what happened since you've entered the gym."

Toshiro's blank stare was enough for Kye not to continue this conversation.

* * *

"Mmmmmh…" Toshiro moaned in pleasure. "Your massages are the best, Livy…"

"Of course, Master," she giggled.

"It was a good idea after all to lie down in the dark gym and let you spoil me…"

 _"_ _Jouten was right… Master can't know about his godly powers before the designated time, or something very VERY bad could happen… His connection to his Elder God self is already being slowly dug deeper thanks to his subconscious and conscious will to fight… Please, Master, just a little bit…"_

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	55. Chapter 55 – A day ends

Chapter 55 – A day ends

* * *

"And there we go…" Elsa said after she turned off the tap in the bathroom. "Now to get Toshiro…"

She exited the room in good spirits, and just as she approached the door to the gym, it opened wide, revealing the dark room, and Toshiro walking into the light of the corridor.

"Are you a vampire or something?" she asked.

" _Hello darkness my old friend…_ " Toshiro mused. "Nah, I have my loner phases."

"Well, I like sitting in the dark too, but only if I have some company."

"I can accompany you, come on," he pointed to the inside of the gym.

She giggled and said, "No, no, I don't have time. The event is really fun, so I have to zip back!"

"You came here just to tell me that?"

"Oh, no, I had to pee and I have a message for you from Alissa," she said with a smile. "She says you should do supper."

"Alone?"

"Probably. She didn't say you'll get somebody to help you. Will you be okay?"

"I think yes, but if you could help… Trude told me she and your mom taught you all there is to the Barkhorn cuisine."

"Heh… Well, true, I can cook, and I like to cook but…"

"You just want to have fun, you little rascal," he ruffled up her hair. "Okay, scoot, I'll manage to do supper on my own."

"Really? Thanks!" she cheered and ran away.

 _"_ _I have an idea…"_

Toshiro went to the kitchen, and after arriving there he said, "Livy, come."

"Yes, Master?" she asked with her usual politeness as she appeared before him.

"What are the odds of preparing supper with you helping me?"

"Using all my powers it's hundred percent, but limiting myself to a mortal level… Errrmmmm… I think we could use help…"

"Never picked up the fine art of cooking, Livy?" Toshiro asked genuinely surprised.

"I have never, ever, not even once been mortalized, Master."

"I see… Okay, call in Kari."

"With pleasure," Livy grinned and snapped her fingers, making the sword girl appear.

"Um, you need me for something L…?" Kari coughed suddenly. "I mean, ahem, are you in need of my assistance?"

"Today, you'll learn the fine arts of cooking, along with your _senpai_ , Livy."

Kari bowed towards Livy and said, "Ah, I'm leaving myself in… Wait a second! Cooking? Really?"

"Yeah, why not? You'll probably leave Aya one day, and my own delusions tell me you could live a normal life then. Unless you're bound to be just an _item_ for all eternity…"

"No, you're right, Toshiro," Kari replied. "I'll take upon your offer. What should I do?"

"Now, what a good girl you are," he patted her head. "Okay, so…

 **Bedroom**

 **"** **Alissa, this is probably the best day I've ever had!"** Aya cheered telepathically while talking to Elizabeth at the same time. **"I learned so much about the girls, even more than during the almost two weeks we've spent together!"**

 **"** **See, I had a good idea. Guess what Toshiro is doing now."**

 **"** **He's supposed to be cooking alone…"**

 **"** **Partially true."**

 **"** **So not alone? But everyone is here so… Woaaah, show me!"**

 **"** **Here ya go."**

Alissa projected a live feed from the kitchen, where Toshiro, Livy, and Kari bustled around.

 **"** **Incredible… Wow, Grandpa sure has a way around them, no kidding…"**

 **"** **There are many factors that led to this state, but I wouldn't be myself if I withheld the knowledge for myself, heh…"**

 **"** **Oh of course… What was it again? Spring of useless knowledge?"**

 **"** **More or less. Better pay attention to Liz or you'll get singed."**

 **"** **Woah, my multitasking went into** ** _singletasking!"_**

"I'm probably the only Brit that hates baked beans, hahahaha!" Elizabeth laughed.

"Why?" Aya asked.

"Were you even listening?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry… I was talking to somebody else…" Aya apologized.

"Your familiar? Oh well, you probably had a reason," she shrugged. "One more time from the top, and listen or I'll smother your ass in flames!"

"Right-o!"

 ** _"_** ** _Told you…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh shush already!"_**

 **Project** ** _Avrora_** **Control Bunker**

 **2000 MSK**

Sakharov was looking at the outside through the narrow slit of the bunker. The three enormous generators and their surroundings were lit so brightly that any spy satellite would pick them up easily. He saw the maintenance crew running around hastily, as well as witches flying in the sky over them.

"Professor, the safety for the second generator was installed," one of the scientists said.

"Good," Sakharov replied. "The crudest safety of all…" he sighed.

"The Liberians suggested it themselves," Isshiki said. "I do wonder what they're bringing…"

"Knowing them? Overkill might be the keyword," he smirked. "It's a bit sad that they will be coming here, thinking that they are the saviors of the world."

"The true saviors are probably eating supper right now, right?" Isshiki asked.

"Most likely. There must be a reason that not their unit, but the 776th has been tasked with defending the site."

"Your government works in mysterious ways…" Isshiki shook his head.

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Kitchen**

"Master, the girls started moving towards the dining hall," Livy reported. "ETA ten seconds."

"Well then my dear ladies, thanks for your help, and I hope for another event like this."

"This was actually fun," Kari smiled. "Thank you for pulling me into this."

"No prob, Kari. Now, both of you scoot."

The two rested whatever kitchen utensil they had in their hands and disappeared.

"Food!" Elsa shouted, as she slammed opened the dining hall doors, but thanks to her eager push and some basic laws of physics backfired, they slammed her in the nose, throwing her back into the corridor.

"Welp…" Toshiro sighed. "Hope Aya takes care of her…"

"Ooooooowwww…" Elsa moaned in the corridor while holding her face.

"Oh you stupid, stupid Elsa…" Aya shook her head as she closed in. "Come on, lemme see."

"Mkay…" she mumbled and uncovered her face, in its whole redness.

Aya poked her nose, and without a strong reaction from Elsa, she said, "No harm done, you're lucky."

"But it stings…" she muttered sorrowfully.

"What do I always say?" Alissa asked.

"If it's not a mortal wound, suffer it out… Geez, thanks, Alissa…" Elsa replied venomously. "How very damn emphatic of you…"

"You had to press her bitter button, did you?" Sieglinde asked.

"Heal her, Aya, or we'll get ulcers while eating in this sore atmosphere…" Alissa sighed. "The rest of you can go inside already."

Aya pressed her hand against Elsa's face, and after a brief moment of green light coursing through her hand, she asked, "Better, Elsa?"

"Yup!" she cheered. "Let's eat!"

"Childish to the brim…" Sieglinde ranted as she entered the dining hall.

"Hey, someone help me with distributing the food," Toshiro said whilst leaning over the counter.

"You cooked alone, why not do that alone too?" Ellie asked with a sly smile.

"Oh really? Then I'll eat it alone too!" Toshiro pouted.

"I'll do it!" Sieglinde ran up to the counter hastily.

"See? That's the proper attitude." Toshiro snickered.

"Oh, hey, count me in too!" Nami ran up to the counter too.

"I guess that confirms you can wrap any girl around your finger," Ellie shrugged.

"Not me," Alissa giggled.

"I'd rather wrap you around a cactus then around my finger," Toshiro smirked. "Whatever now, let's chow down."

 **Project** ** _Avrora_** **Control Bunker**

 **2100 MSK**

The same Mi-24V that was used to visit the 777th landed on the helipad near the control bunker of Project _Avrora_. Four armed USL marines jumped out of it, followed by two more pairs of marines carrying a big crate each. After them, two scientists followed suit, and two of the first four closed the column behind them. The two guards at the door let them passed, and the guardsman in his booth opened the main gate inside without a word of protest or encouragement.

After traversing the maze of corridors, the column wound up in the control room itself.

"We can finally see each other again, comrade Sakharov," one of the scientists said.

Sakharov raised his glasses, put them on again, and said, "Professor Agnew, welcome. And who is your colleague?"

"McMillan," the other one responded. "We're from Project Elysium, the sister project to your Aurora thing."

"Ah, yes, yes… So we finally can see what you Liberians concocted in your well-funded laboratories."

"Men, lay down the crates, you can go now," Agnew commanded.

"Yes sir," one of the marines replied, and after quickly but gently putting down the crates, the marines evacuated themselves.

"Well then, take a good look," Agnew said and opened the bulkier of the crates, painted orange, and with both radiation and fragility warning signs on it.

Sakharov, Isshiki, and some of the other scientists looked at what was inside, and the first one said, "Rather unimpressive…"

"Yes, yes, I know, everything you Oruskies have to make has to be… Uhhh…"

" _Bolshoy_?" Sakharov smirked.

"Indeed. My Orussian really got rusty…" Agnew muttered. "Anyway, trust me, my dear dissident colleague – this is something of power yet not unleashed on such scale on the face of the Earth."

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Bedroom**

 **2150 MSK**

"Okay ladies, lights out," Toshiro said as his hand wandered to the light switch.

"Good night Toshiro!" the girls mused in sync.

"Daaaawwww… Good night," he said softly and flipped the light switch.

He slowly walked to the bed he shared with Alissa and jumped up onto his bunk.

 ** _"_** ** _And now, we wait…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Predicting something, Toshiro?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh I'm predicting a LOT of things, believe me…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Then let's see if you're right…"_**

After only a few minutes, Aya disappeared into the thin air. Then, Giulietta dropped down to Elwyn's bunk, and Sieglinde went to Nami.

 ** _"_** ** _I figured out that much, but now for the unknowns…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Oh you'll be surprised. In a rather warm and cuddly way."_**

The next thing he saw was Marie crawling up to Elizabeth's bunk and asking, "Um… Liz?"

"What's up, Marie? Having trouble sleeping?"

"Y-Yes…"

Elizabeth raised her blanket and said, "Take your pillow, and come on, let's cuddle up and maybe we'll have a good night's sleep."

"Kay!" she cheered as quietly as she could, and after quickly swiping away the pillow from her own, bunk, she landed under one blanket with Elizabeth. "Good night, Liz…"

"Good night, Marie…"

 ** _"_** ** _Mmmmmhhhmmm…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Now look a bit more to the left."_**

Toshiro focused his vision and saw Shinobu skulking out of her bed and towards Angela's.

"Oh look, did you perhaps succumb to your inner lesbian urges after hearing the two grinding against each other over your head?"

"No, damn you… I told you I'm straight, and that's final… I just wanted to… sleep with somebody this night… Like with Aya in the old days…"

"Oh… Well, come on then, there's always space in my bed for some well-behaving guests."

Shinobu jumped into the bed quickly, but as soon as she landed by Angela's side, she took her by surprise and kissed her on the lips briefly.

"W-W-W-Wh-Wh…"

"And I wanted to kiss a girl…" Angela mumbled. "Could be the last time I had the occasion…"

"Damn perv…" Shinobu muttered. "But it somehow felt nice…"

"Want more?" Angela asked in a coy manner.

"I want to sleep, not lose my virginity to you…"

Angela giggled and said, "Okay, we'll both die virgins then. Good night, Shino."

"You… Ah, fuck it… Night, Angela."

 ** _"_** ** _Well then…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _The girls sure exhibit some weird solidarity, huh?"_**

Toshiro then saw Tatiana running off into the corridor.

 ** _"_** ** _Lemme guess…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You guessed right."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Ugh…"_**

 **Commander's bedroom**

"So… We should go to sleep…" Katie said in the darkness.

"Nah, why bother…" Ellie, lying beside her, replied.

"Coffee won't do the trick, Ellie, trust me. We have to force ourselves into sleep if necessary."

"I know…" she sighed. "It's just that… something's not giving me peace of mind…"

"And what would that be?"

The door to their room started opening slowly, and the Ellie reacted immediately, quietly drawing her pistol from under her pillow.

"Halt," she said roughly.

"It's me, Mommy," Tatiana's voice sounded quietly in the darkness.

"Tanya? What are you doing here?" Ellie asked surprised.

"Yeah, you should be sleeping," Katie said.

"Oh, Aunt Katie is with you… in one bed…" Tatiana said confused.

"Woah! First of all, I'm not your aunt, at least not legally. Secondly, can't two adult women sleep in one bet without accusations of being dykes?" Katie rebuked.

"Uhm, sorry, I guess I jumped to conclusions…" Tatiana apologized.

"But I bet you would want to join us, hmm?" Ellie asked.

"Yes!" Tatiana cheered. "Umm… If it's not a bother, Aunt Katie…"

"Drop the… oh whatever, I've never been an aunt before… Come on, there's room for you too."

"Wee!" she cheered and jumped right between them.

"You little scamp…" Katie giggled. "But now, sleepy time, or Aunt Katie will use her belt!"

"Good night!" Tatiana quickly lied down on her back.

Ellie kissed Tatiana on the forehead and said, "Good night, Sweetie."

"Good night, Mommy," Tatiana smiled so widely that her teeth were visible in the darkness.

"Just too cute…" Katie relaxed herself and slowly drifted off.

 **Kola's bedroom**

"You in?" Aya asked from atop of Kola.

"Don't you feel?" Kola snickered.

"Just checking, because…" Aya suddenly clung onto him and flared up with a blue aura. "…I'll show you something nice."

Faster than he could comprehend, Kola was suddenly pinned up to the ceiling, with Aya still straddling on him.

"Sex in the air, Kola. Why not have some fun, if we can die tomorrow, right?" Aya asked.

"I think I'm afraid to move…"

"Oh don't worry; I'll do ALL the moving," Aya snickered.

 **Bedroom**

 ** _"_** ** _So, Toshiro, only one left and it's your turn."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Let's see…"_**

Aina slowly walked through the bedroom, and crawled up to Elsa, who was, as usual, sleeping the sleep of the just. The Suomi simply lied beside her, and clung onto her back.

 ** _"_** ** _Damn, she must feel lonely…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I would invite her to my bed, but I guess somebody from her age group is better for her. Now, let's begin…"_**

The well endowed and well built Toshiko appeared before him.

"I heard this could be my last _visit_ , Toshiro?"

"Some say this could be true."

"Well then…" Toshiko said and spread her legs. "Get down on me so long that you'll have to develop gills. After that, you do whatever you want to me."

"Anything?"

"Anything," Toshiko replied adamantly.

"Oh fuck…"

"Literally," Toshiko giggled, and she watched as Toshiro eagerly started crawling towards her.

Suddenly however, Livy appeared between the two of them, as naked as Toshiko.

"What?" both of them asked at the same time.

"Master…" Livy started shyly. "I know I'm asking for too much but… I want to sleep with you…"

"Sleep sleep or _sleep_?" he asked confused.

"The second option, Master… It's just that… I want you to have a good time, and I can grant you that better than this clone…"

"And who told you I suck at sex?" Toshiko asked. "Toshiro didn't complain."

"No, I didn't. But Livy, Toshiko is a clone of me, so basically having sex with her is like some meta type of masturbation. And you are a living breathing unique entity, an Elder God, faithful to the Allgod. I can't just drill you…"

"Do it, Toshiro," Toshiko said. "Don't refuse the poor Livy, just because suddenly you have some weird qualms. This may be the last shag you'll have in your life, why not make it something grandiose?"

"I see your reasoning, you're basically me," Toshiro snickered. "But I don't know…"

Suddenly, Livy's body changed and she mimicked that of Toshiko, but amplified it a bit on her own.

"Master, this is what you desire, please…"

"Mmmmm…." Toshiko murmured and clung onto Livy from behind, using her left hand to fondle Livy's breasts, and wandering with the right hand down under.

"Ahh…" Livy moaned slightly. "Please, Cloned Master, not so fast… I… I love Master, not you…"

"You… You love me?" Toshiro asked uncertainly.

"Y…Yesss…" Livy moaned, as Toshiko was pleasuring her. "Your memories were wiiiiped because you wanted to haaaave a normal life with Mistress Yoshikaaaaa…. And… We were meant to be juuust friends..."

"Okay, stop, Toshiko," Toshiro commanded.

Toshiko stopped moving her hands, but she didn't change their position.

"So…" Toshiro pondered. "If you say you confessed to me, then…"

All of a sudden, a stream of memories flashed before him.

"We… We did it during the sim? You confessed to me before… Oh my… Livy, I'm so sorry… I…"

Livy silenced him with a finger placed on his lips, and she said, "I understand you, Master. If I would want to be reborn as a mortal, I would probably want the same. It is I, who appeared in your life suddenly, and… I think I shouldn't be the one to make demands…"

Toshiro loosened up, took the finger from his lips, grabbing her hand gently with both of his, and said, "Okay, Livy, I'll do it, since there was a precedence. Know that we both will have a lot to explain to Yoshika."

Livy nodded her head violently, but Toshiko suddenly resumed her activities and said, "How about a threesome then? I wanted to let you fuck me so hard your dick would fall off, Toshiro, but now… Mhmm… Yes… A threesome… And I already warmed up Livy, so…"

"I don't have anything against it, Toshiko. How about you, Livy?"

"N… Nooo…" Livy moaned.

Toshiro moved forward, and planted a kiss on Livy's lips.

 _"_ _Oh my… Two Masters at the same time… Oh my… This is something else…"_

* * *

Some time later, Livy was lying on Toshiro, who was breathing heavily, with Toshiko tucked into his right side.

"So, Toshiro… You were the best…" Toshiko said.

"I can only say the best thing about you, Toshiko… But now I have to go to sleep. I have a _date_ with Ami."

"Oh, would you look at that? You damn stud you…" she elbowed him gently. "Okay, sleep tight." Toshiko kissed him on the forehead and disappeared.

"I can only concur, Master," Livy giggled. "You were even better than that time… Experience and wisdom come with age…" she sighed.

"I'm glad I could satisfy you, Livy…" he said as he stroked her cheek. "And I really love this body…"

"Your preferences can't be hidden from me, Master…" she smiled. "Should I stay like this?"

"Yes, please. However, right now, I have a date with a certain goddess, so... could you drop me off there?"

"With more clothes on, Master?"

"Heh, yeah…"

* * *

The lush green, almost endless plains of grass were a welcome sight, as well as the mountain range in the distance, covered with snow at the top. The sky was without a single trace of clouds, and the sun was shining brightly. Toshiro looked at the lake before him and smiled.

He felt a soft sensation on his back, and a pair of arms wrapping around his chest.

"And who could this be?" Toshiro asked with feigned ignorance.

"Your former employer," the person behind him giggled and turned him around. "Hello, Toshiro."

Amaterasu looked at him with her golden eyes, making him feel warm inside.

"Hi, Ami. We see again."

"Yeah…" she sighed. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

"I haven't learned how to walk on water yet, sorry," he snickered. "Although…"

Amaterasu snapped her fingers, and a bridge appeared suddenly, spanning over the whole lake.

"Well then…" he muttered and grabbed her hand.

"Oh…" she blushed. "Not so fast…"

"Still shy around me, Ami? You could have used the occasion when we were in Kye's simulation," he grinned.

"Livy had a head start…"

* * *

The two walked down the bridge holding hands, and chatting away all the time, much to Amaterasu's delight.

"This was probably the best time I had with you since I revealed myself to you!" Amaterasu cheered as they were traversing a small hill. "You've really matured, Toshiro, I like it."

"I'll always have a spot for you in my heart, Ami. You were the one who took care of me for some time after all."

"Thanks…" she blushed. "But now I have to disappear."

"Already? Ugh…"

"Don't worry, you'll have company soon. Just go over the hill."

"Well okay then… But Ami, just answer me that one question you probably see in my mind already."

"Being perfectly honest, I can only say that the gods are perfectly sure you and your friends and family will win."

"Well ain't that overconfident…" he muttered. "Bye, Ami. I hope I won't have to report to you with an _eboshi_ on my forehead tomorrow."

Amaterasu giggled and said, "We'll see, my dear Chosen One."

After that, she disappeared in a storm of sakura petals.

"Let's see what's over the hill then."

Just after a few more meters, he realized where he was heading, and already started predicting what would happen next. His first and foremost prediction came true as he peaked over the hilltop. He saw two people sitting on the grass back to him, a man, and a woman. His heart momentarily went aflutter, and he started running towards them.

His loud steps must have alerted one of them, as the woman stood up and looked behind her when she was just a few meters behind her.

"Tosh…" she said but was interrupted by his bear hug.

"I'm sorry, Mom… I'm sorry I didn't come to see you all these years…"

"Son, I hope you're not crying right now?" the man asked and stood beside the woman.

"Dad, don't give me that crap," Toshiro said and raised his eyes. "Cheater…" he muttered as he saw his twenty year old at most father.

"Hey, you look better than me before I died, and I was younger than you!" Lucas rebuked.

Akiko took two steps back, and looked at him from top to bottom.

"My… You look distinguished…. Noble even, Toshiro!"

"Well, I am royal blood after all, right?" he laughed.

"My dear son…" Akiko sighed. "And a father… And a grandfather… Thank you for the names you've chosen."

"That was a must, Mom."

"And you became a Kaiser yourself," Lucas said. "And the first president. And a Nobel prize winner. Son, if anybody should be proud of you, then it most definitely has to be me!"

"Thanks…" Toshiro mumbled, feeling as his cheeks slowly started burning. "So uh… Are you on the latest with the news?"

"Yes we are…" Akiko said quietly, looking to the side. "I'm worried about you, Toshiro."

"As every mother," Lucas jumped in. "Toshiro, just kick their damn asses like you did almost four decades ago!"

"If it only were so easy… But let's not talk about the future, okay? Since we're together right now, why not talk about the past?"

"I figured you would ask say that," Lucas smirked. "Ask away."

"How many times did you two have sex?" he asked with a straight face.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, but Akiko ruthlessly pulled Toshiro's left ear saying, "You may be who you are, but have respect for your parents."

"Yes Mom…" he mumbled. "Okay, I take that back, let's have a normal conversation…"

"Good boy," Akiko smiled satisfied.

* * *

 **I'm not even bothering with ANs anymore, nobody is reviewing anyway.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	56. Chapter 56 – The very morning

Chapter 56 – The very morning

* * *

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Kola's bedroom**

 **January 28, 1983**

 **0445 MSK**

 _"_ _Mistress, it would be a good time to wake up your beloved."_

 _"_ _Uuuugh… What's the time…?"_

 _"_ _A quarter to five in the morning, Mistress. I'm terribly…"_

 _"_ _No, no, you did the right thing, Kuro… Good boy."_

 _"_ _T-Thank you, Mistress!"_

Aya opened her eyes and rubbed them for a few seconds before the blur went away. She looked to her side and saw Kola sleeping on his right side, with his face towards her.

 _"_ _He's sleeping as if nothing were to happen today… I don't know if I should be worried or happy? Maybe I'll settle for a bit of both?"_

She started gently poking his nose with a downward motion, at the same time whispering, "Kola, it's time."

"I'm awake…" he muttered. "I only slept for an hour or so…"

"Oh my… And I thought you just shrugged all of this off!" Aya said surprised.

"There's no way I can shrug off something like what will happen today, Aya."

An almost inaudible knock on the door was heard, and Toshiro's voice came from behind them.

"Guys, kiss for goodbye and let's go."

"You heard the man," Kola smirked and took Aya partially by surprise, landing a sensual kiss.

"Don't go…" Aya whimpered.

"You know I have to, Aya. It's best I'm stowed away safely while you guys are in battle. You know I can barely fend for myself, right?"

"Right… You would have to train for a few years to reach my level, but even that's not a given…" she sighed. "Come on, stand up, I'll put your clothes on."

"Time diluted dressing up? Just don't misuse that power," he giggled.

Aya giggle too and said, "I would like to, but Grandpa is also well versed in that magic type, so it would be troublesome if we… you know…"

"Yeah, that would be awkward… So I guess I have to stand up first?"

"Indeed," Aya smiled.

Kola crawled off the bed, and stood in the center of the room, only clad in briefs.

"This okay?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "When I give you a sign, jump up."

"I can't see shit, so be vocal about it…" he muttered.

"Okay. So… Reaaaady…" she paused for a second. "Jump!"

Kola jumped up, and he felt a sensation as if a wind enveloped him suddenly, and once his feet touched the ground, he felt that he had his shoes on.

"Wow… Damn nifty, Aya," Kola said in admiration. "Thanks."

"Stay safe, Kola…"

Since Aya was standing right before him, he raked her in for a bear hug.

"With Toshiro, I feel as safe as it can be. You should be the one to look after yourself, my dearest."

"I love you, Kola…" she mumbled.

" _I ja lyubyu tiebia_ , Aya," he hugged her tight. "But I have to go now."

"Say hello to Grandma from me, kay?"

"Of course I will," he let go of her, and took the bag, which he prepared yesterday. "How about a good old Kola joke, just for you?"

"Well, let it rip," Aya smiled.

"A CIA agent walks around Moscow to observe the economic situation. He sees lines out the door at the bakery. "No bread," he writes in his notebook. Outside the butcher shop there's a sign telling customers to come back later. "No meat," he notes. A soviet police officer yells at him "20 years ago they would have shot you for making notes like that!"

"No bullets.""

Aya curled up on the bed and muffled her laugh with the pillow. Kola just smiled and opened the door. He saw Toshiro's silhouette in the darkness.

"Let's go, Kola."

"Damn it's fucking dark here…" he grumbled.

Toshiro glowed orange, lighting his immediate surroundings.

"Very convenient… Oh, we have a guest it seems," Kola pointed out at the door to Ellie's bedroom opening.

A small figure came out of the room, and when it came into the light, Kola recognized Tatiana.

"Having second thoughts on killing me after all?" Kola smirked.

"Four AM is the KGB hour after all," Tatiana giggled. "No, I just wanted to greet you off on everyone's behalf Kola, since… we didn't do it properly…"

"Because almost nobody knows about it, Tatiana," Toshiro said. "Come on, do it quick."

"Okay," Tatiana nodded. "B-B-Bend over, Kola."

"That could be taken wrong in so many way…" he sighed and bent over a fair bit.

Tatiana took his head in her shaky hands and gave him a brief kiss on the cheek.

"T-There you go… I'm sorry for whatever harm I intended to do to you…"

 _"_ _She changed so much in such a short notice of time…"_

Kola patted her on the head and said, "Your intentions didn't come to fruition, so let's not dwell about it, okay? Go and sleep, or you could become a burden."

"I'll probably be sleeping more in the early morning to be honest… It's hard to just switch your sleeping cycle like that in one day, even for the best witch assassin of the KGB," she giggled and ran off back into the room from which she came.

"Now we have to run to keep on schedule, Kola. Are you up for it?"

"Meh," he shrugged and they both started like sprinters.

 **Kola's bedroom**

"I just let the man of my dreams go like that…" Aya sighed.

"You can't be by his side all of the time, Mistress," Kari said from her side. "And it's not like you intend to be separated from him for more than one day, right?"

"Yeah, you're right, Kari… He'll be safer with Grandma back in Karlsland. She can still put up a fight by herself, so it won't be a problem…"

"You should return to your bed, Mistress."

"But it will be cold…" she moaned. "Unless… Heh…"

Aya jumped off the bed and ran out of the room.

"My Mistress is sure something different…" Kari smiled in the darkness.

"She has my Master's genes in her after all," Livy appeared out of nowhere.

"Wah, don't do that!" Kari screamed.

"Oh, pardon, but I'm in a cheerful mood today."

"You know of something?" Kari asked.

"Yup," Livy nodded. "You'll see, today will be the most important day for the whole world."

"Wow… B-But will Mistress…"

"Won't tell."

"Now I know how your Master feels…" Kari mumbled.

 **Bedroom**

Aya silently entered the room, and after a quick glance, she smiled brightly under her nose.

 _"_ _Wow… Everyone is sleeping with everybody…"_

She then looked towards Alissa, who already raised her blanket in an inviting way. Aya quickly jumped to her sided and cuddled with her.

"Oh you cuddly rascal," Alissa giggled. "I hope you're not missing him too much already?"

"Not yet. Good night, Alissa."

"Good night, Aya."

 **Hangar**

Kola was standing atop of Aya's Launch Unit as Toshiro's hunched a bit before him.

"Okay, hold the bag before you, and jump on my back," Toshiro explained.

"Here goes nothing…" Kola mumbled and jumped down.

Toshiro clutched his feet tightly and said, "Okay, now wrap your hands around my neck, but don't fucking choke me."

"Yeah…" Kola said and did his assignment. "Good?"

"Okay. Lean forward and we're off."

Kola leaned slightly forwards, and Toshiro immediately punched it, reaching Mach 1 just before leaving the airspace over the base itself, and started gaining altitude quickly.

"Jesus, cold!" Kola shouted.

"Ah, pardon…" Toshiro said and turned on the _heating_ as well as enveloped them with a translucent bubble reflecting light.

"Damn cold…"

"Heh… A shame you probably don't see shit because of the darkness around us…"

"I'm not here for sightseeing, Toshiro. Besides, I'm more busy with keeping my pants dry…"

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Toshiro said, "We're going to descend now. And _now_ you have to hold really tight."

"Won't we be… I don't know… shot at?"

"We're invisible, remember? You can't see it, but there's a barely visible barrier around us. From the outside, it's as if we're inexistent."

"Fancy…"

Toshiro now started a dive towards the ground, which would kill any normal person from hypothermia, but not somebody supported by the Sacred Flame.

Kola's eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he could see a great forest and a city nearby. Toshiro approached to the forest with a reduced speed, and decelerated gradually. Kola saw the silhouette of an enormous house, and soon, they landed before it, right on the lawn.

"Now, be quiet, Kola. I don't intend to wake Yoshika."

"And what will I say when she discovers me, huh?" Kola asked. ""Oh hi, future grandmother-in-law!"?"

"Ugh, right… Guess you have to break some eggs to make an omelet…" Toshiro sighed. "Jump off and follow me."

Kola jumped off Toshiro's back, and onto the driveway. Toshiro pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the door.

The Orussian followed him closely, but Toshiro halted him.

"Shoes."

"Ugh…" Kola moaned, and put on the slippers he was handed.

"Yoshika would rip your head off if you brought in mud," Toshiro snickered.

"Oh yes, I would," Yoshika's voice came from the stairs leading to the upper floor. "Why are you back so early, Toshiro? Where's Aya? Who's that?"

"Starting from the back end, my lovely wife, this is a future member of our family, Kola Savchenko, or Romanov if you prefer," Toshiro pointed out Kola.

Yoshika turned on the lights on the stairs, revealing herself clad in a satin green nightgown.

"So this is that Kola that Aya mentioned?" Yoshika asked curiously. "My, he really is bigger than you!" she laughed. "In all dimensions?"

"Oh no, I have some advantage over him in that department," Toshiro snickered.

Yoshika came closer and extended her hand to Kola saying, "Yoshika von Edelweiss, pleased to meet you, future grandson-in-law."

"Um, good morning, ma'am…" Kola shook her hand shyly. "I hope I'm not inconveniencing you."

"You could explain yourself…" Yoshika rolled her eyes. "Over a cup of coffee, of course. Toshiro, would you like one too?"

"I think I have some time, honey," he smiled. "Adi left already?"

"Yes, yesterday. Boy, it was fun! And she's still… skillful…" Yoshika giggled. "Okay boys, dump yourselves in the living room, I'll take care of the coffee."

"Follow me," Toshiro said.

He led him to the room just a few maters away and after he lit the lights inside, he said, "Sit wherever you want."

Kola looked at the enormous room, as big as the dining hall in the base, but furnished like a palace in Versailles.

"We have to blow money on something," Toshiro shrugged after seeing Kola's wide opened mouth. "After you marry Aya, just say one word, and you can have a crib like this for yourself."

"Uuuuuuuuhhh… Errrrrr…"

"Trust me, I have the money," Toshiro winked and went behind a bar counter. "What would you like?"

"I really don't know my alcohol… I just had moonshine, vodka, and beer in my life…"

"Well then… I'll give you some rum then."

"Pirates drank it, I probably can too…" Kola looked around and finally found a spot to rest.

Shortly afterwards, Toshiro approached him with a glass quarter-filled with a clear liquid.

"Thanks," Kola took the glass and took a whiff. "Ugh…"

"It's not for sniffing, but for drinking."

Kola decided to be tough and downed his booze in one go.

"Uuuuuuggggghhh… Definitely something…" he grunted.

Toshiro sat on the nearby chair, they both waited two minutes, and then, Yoshika came in, dressed in a green one piece, holding a platter with three steaming cups of coffee.

"What a blast from the past..." Toshiro nodded. "I bought her that dress eons ago."

"And it still suits me, right?" Yoshika asked.

"Of course it does! You look thirty at most in it!" Toshiro laughed.

"And how old do I look to you, Kola?"

"Errr… I don't have much experience with gauging women using an arbitrary visual scale…"

Yoshika raised an eyebrow and asked, "Toshiro, how smart is he?"

"Almost my level," Toshiro answered proudly.

"Tell me your story, Kola."

"Y-Yes ma'am…"

"Yoshika will do, really," she smiled.

"Uhh… Okay then, Yoshika… But first, I have a question."

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"Aren't you afraid to live here when you're alone?"

Both Toshiro and Yoshika smirked wildly, and then, a translucent pink katana appeared in Yoshika's hand.

"Is this enough to answer you?"

"How the…"

"Yoshika comes from a lineage with benign magic age deterioration," Toshiro explained. "Her shield is of course no more, but damn can she swing that sword!"

The katana disappeared, and Yoshika cheered, "I still have it in me!"

"Heh… What a family… So, my story… I'll try to be concise, since I believe Toshiro will want to add something after that."

"Indeed, I will. Go on."

"So…"

* * *

Kola told Yoshika a brief summary of his life, including what happened in the 777th, during which a tear or two danced in her eyes.

"That would be it," he ended. "Toshiro, now your turn."

"Uh, yeah… You see, Yoshika, I want to stow away Kola in our home. Can you take care of him?"

"Why of course! Are you stupid or what?" she pouted. "My life dream of helping people still goes on."

"Very good," he smiled. "So… The other reason is that… Uhhh… Today might be judgment day for humanity. Again…"

"What do you mean, Toshiro?" Yoshika asked unrestful.

"Xadea wasn't the last of her kind… It appears that she had a _husband_ of sorts, and that he wants to launch an all-out invasion at the end of the month. And the military decided to do a pre-emptive attack using a wormhole and some secret weapon today…"

"Oh my…" Yoshika gasped. "Not again! Everyone remembers what happened with the _Siegespfeil_!"

"You don't have to remind me that… One thing that's a little reassuring is that _Alissa_ has been there since I arrived."

"Ugh, her again…" Yoshika shook her head. "So that's what she planned all along."

"Yeeaaaaaah… So anyway, I wanted you to know that shit might happen today, Yoshika."

"I knew that she appeared for a purpose…" she muttered. "But okay, let's hope that history will repeat itself."

"Would be fun," Toshiro snickered. "Well then, I'll be off."

"Oh no, wait a minute!" Yoshika protested. "Follow me!"

"Whatever you want, Yoshika. Just be quick about it."

"What about me?" Kola asked dumbfounded.

"Make yourself comfortable, but don't go sightseeing yet, okay?" Yoshika asked.

"Sure, Yoshika."

Yoshika dragged on Toshiro to the first floor, to their bedroom, and threw him on the bed.

"Woah shit, Yoshika. Are you perhaps trying to say something?"

In a split second, Yoshika's dress disappeared from her, leaving her standing naked before him.

"Shut up, and let's have sex already!"

"Damn…"

* * *

Kola was looking around the room, when Toshiro shouted, "Kola, I'm off, have fun!"

"Woah, what?" Kola turned around, but only saw Yoshika with a gleaming face.

 _"_ _Did they just… Naaaah… Really?"_

"Okay, Kola, we have a guest room, which I forgot to tidy up after our previous guest, but that means it's usable. Want to take a nap?"

"After drinking that coffee? That will be a bit difficult…"

"Then… Let's go to Toshiro's little secret place, okay?"

"Secret place? I'm game!"

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Bedroom**

 **0604 MSK**

The door to the bedroom opened silently, and Toshiro slid in slowly. He looked around and shook his head with a smile on his face. When he pulled up to the bed he shared with Alissa, he saw Aya sleeping with her, and Alissa herself watching him.

 ** _"_** ** _This is one of the rare times that I can say that you look cute."_**

 ** _"_** ** _And when I would remove Aya from the equation?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You can't divide by zero."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Son of a… Tell me, Toshiro – why so sour?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You know, I won't overload my synapses by talking to you."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Of course I know, but you're the one that prefers conversations, not mind reading?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You reading my mind is something you can't stop, Kye. Whether you want it or not, you perfectly well know my every damn thought until my dying breath. AND you're teasing the living fuck out of me with your half-assed secrets. So until you give a fuck to tell me everything and scram to your own damn universe, I'll be like that."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Fine, fine… No more behaving like I know everything, it's only here and now, deal?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Too late, Kye. And I want to sleep anyway, but I doubt that will happen, since I got pissed off."_**

Toshiro climbed onto his bunk, and tried to fall asleep. Suddenly, Livy appeared and lied flat on him.

 ** _"_** ** _Well then…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I can make you fall asleep, Master. Do you want it?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I could probably pin some of that on you, Livy, but… I guess you're just concerned about me… And Kye is bullying you."_**

 ** _"_** ** _It's a combination of both, Master. Sleep tight."_**

Livy slowly moved her lips, and kissed him, making Toshiro fall asleep immediately.

 ** _"_** ** _You had to tick him off…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Like I said, I want to piss him off while I still can. Once he becomes Adam anew, no more mortal Toshiro, no more mindreading, no more turning into Toshiko, et cetera. But at the same time, we will finally be able to have a talk like he had with my mortal me back in the simulation."_**

 ** _"_** ** _You really had it going. But on the other hand, you weren't bothering Master with your half-spoken predictions. He really hates it…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _The thing he really hates is me not intervening. He still holds a grudge that I simply didn't poof the Neuroi out of this universe, and that a few years ago I drafted Aya. He thinks that after befriending me, he would have an all-powerful ally that would help him defeat the Neuroi with ease, especially after I pulled that power-up business with my witches."_**

 ** _""_** ** _How could she just power up her girls to an absurd level like that permanently, and then rob me of my power-up before sending me back?" was more or less what Master thought. The end justified the means, but he always was a fragile existence. He was the only Elder God to commit suicide… And yet, you brainwashed me so effectively that I didn't help him, just as he expected from you."_**

 ** _"_** ** _The more diverse experiences as a mortal he'll undergo, the more complete he'll be as an Elder God, Livy. You know that, right?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Of course. That is knowledge given to us by the Primordial Goddess. But still…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I know, I know, Livy. You are the destined lover of Adam, and it was wrong for me to come between you and him. Look at this from the other side – is the time you've spent with Toshiro now better than all the eons you we're withering away at Adam's side?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I… I think you're right… How far ahead have you planned?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Livy… You stopped thinking and acting as an Elder God, and started adapting to Toshiro's will. It's fully acceptable in my eyes, but come on, cheat a bit and look into the future."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Should I?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yes."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Hmmmmmmmmmm… Oh my… OH MY! Why didn't you tell me?!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Because you didn't ask!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You… All of this on your side so it could end like that?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yes."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Thank you…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _No problem, Livy. You deserve it."_**

 **Commander's bedroom**

 **0720 MSK**

Both Ellie and Katie were watching each other, not saying a word, because Tatiana was sleeping soundly between them, however slightly closer to Ellie. The two however knew each other so well that non-verbal communication was something easy.

'I'm going to make breakfast,' Katie convened through a simple gesture.

'Maybe I should join you?' Ellie replied in the same manner.

'No, you stay with her until it's finished.'

Ellie smiled and giggled slightly, making Katie do the same in return. The Leh with double citizenship stood up carefully and started dressing herself.

 **Bedroom**

Surprisingly, the first to wake up was Elsa. She turned around and saw Aina sleeping at her side.

 _"_ _Oh, so that's why I was so warm at night? Heh… I'm really such a klutz sometimes… I should have at least said "good night" or something… Well then…"_

Elsa poked her surprise bunkmate in the left cheek. The Suomi lazily opened her eyes and said, "Hi…"

"Morning, Aina. Did ya sleep well?"

Aina smiled and replied, "It was fun sleeping with you."

"Huh? In what manner?"

"You sleep in… dunno how to say it… In a boyish way. It reminded me of my early years and sleeping with my brother…"

"Awww… But really, I just…"

Aina silenced her with a finger placed on her mouth.

"It's okay, let me have my own fantasies, kay?"

"Mkay…" Elsa mumbled. "Wook, evwywun ish shweeping in paiws."

"Oh?" Aina raised an eyebrow and looked around. "Indeed…" she lowered her voice considerably. "Hey, do you think there was some… _action_?"

"You mean like… Giulietta and stuff?"

Aina giggled and said, "Yeah, up her alley."

"Let's see… Sieglinde is bi, but she's with Nami. Giulietta is outright on the other side of the fence, but she's with Elwyn next to us… So either they just slept innocently or…"

"I can hear you…" Elwyn sighed. "Yes, we did it, satisfied?"

"Eheheheh…" Elsa laughed dryly. "Sorry…"

"Well, we had fun," Giulietta said. "Sieglinde and Nami over there probably had their own fun."

"Ah, so that's confirmed," Elsa nodded. "But I didn't know you swung that way, Elwyn."

"Errr… Uhhh…" Elwyn's blush was almost visible in the darkness. "Giulietta is delicate and… I feel sorta safe with her… B-But I'm still straight!"

"I'm not gonna judge you," Elsa shrugged. "This is actually cute in a way."

"And don't look at me," Aina added. "I have _two_ grandmothers, if you catch my drift…"

"Oh right, I totally forgot…" Giulietta pondered. "Saaaay…"

"No," Aina replied adamantly.

"Was worth a try…" Giulietta sulked.

* * *

"Shit, Elsa really was in the dark," Shinobu snickered.

"How about a 'good morning' first?" Angela asked.

"Mornin'."

"Much better," she smiled. "Morning, Shino."

"Ugh… I'll have to get used to it I think…"

"That's a very cute pet name, but I guess you want to be perceived as hard as a rock and cold as steel?"

"Actually…" Shinobu pondered for a few seconds. "I already dropped my guard around you guys, so I don't care what happens here. But please, for the love of all gods, don't call me like that if we meet outside of this unit, okay?"

"You're assuming we'll meet again?" Angela asked. "That's optimistic."

"It's not like the battle today is already a lost cause? And look at our grandparents – they all have yearly reunions. If we win, we'll have the perfect right to organize such reunions for the 777th ourselves, or maybe even tag along with the 501st."

"You're right… You should pass this on to Aya and Toshiro."

"Will do.

* * *

"Bonjour, Liz," Marie said softly. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mornin', Marie. Yes, I did sleep well. This is actually the first time I've slept with somebody."

"Not even with your mom or dad?" Marie asked surprised.

"Nu-uh. I was brought up to be self-reliant, at least up to the moment I had that fucking accident… But after that, I still slept alone every night. Thanks for the new experience, Marie."

"Oh, pshaw… I just lied there with you…"

"Judging by your behavior, you slept a lot with Giselle?"

"Always before the accident, always after it," Marie sighed. "I can't leave the poor thing alone at night… I hope she's not missing me too much…"

"Relax, Marie," Elizabeth said warmly. "Your parents are probably taking great care of her."

"You're right; they are probably smothering her in my name, heh…"

* * *

Nami started tickling Sieglinde right under the left buttock. For the first three seconds, the Karlslander didn't show a sign of life, but after that she started snorting and twitching uncontrollably.

"I'll kill you…" Sieglinde said.

"Well, then I might as well…" Nami smiled devilishly and started using both her hands to tickle Sieglinde.

She reacted momentarily, and after a brief glance at the surroundings, she turned around, grabbed Nami's hands and kissed her on the lips briefly.

"Well how about that for a good morning…" she said with a mellow voice. "Whew… Aren't you afraid people might see us?"

"Everyone knows I'm bi, but probably only a few know you are too. So it's more your thing to be honest…"

"Ah… You're kinda right on that one… I think I'll come clear with everyone during breakfast."

"W-Wait a second! But that means everyone's gonna know we're… d-doing it…" Sieglinde blushed fiercely.

"Trust me, most of the girls probably know already. They're not deaf and stupid after all."

"Maybe… Dunno… Okay, you can tell them…" Sieglinde sighed. "But if more than half say they didn't knew, I'll… make it unpleasant for you!"

"After so much pleasure we've had, that won't be the end of the world," Nami giggled.

"Ugh…"

* * *

Aya woke up by Alissa's side, both looking each other in the eyes.

"I hope I was a good sleeper," Aya smiled.

"Oh, you were okay, I can't complain."

"Wonder how Grandpa is…?" Aya said and started moving, but Alissa said, "He's asleep."

"That's predictable. I want to wake him up though."

"No, you can't."

"I _can't_?"

"Livy pushed his snooze button, and he'll wake up just in time for breakfast."

"Oh?" Aya asked surprised. "Why did she do that?"

"Toshiro was riled up after we had a falling out," Alissa said calmly.

"Oh… Who was at fault?" Aya asked straightforwardly.

"Although the guilt isn't distributed evenly, I can't say I wasn't to blame for it."

"I see… Poor Grandpa is taking too much on his plate, that's why he's so nervous… I really should comfort him somehow…"

"I hate to break it to you so brutally, but your words will have limited effect on Toshiro. He's already set straight toward one goal – kill the Neuroi or die trying. You can help him in battle, but you won't dissuade him from it."

"That's understandable… Grandpa was always a warrior of justice, and his words, and what I experienced with him in your simulation only confirmed it… Thank you for the heads up, Alissa."

"No problem, Sweetie. Now, get Lily and Shinobu up, your all-star cooking team needs to get ready."

"Kay!" Aya cheered quietly.

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	57. Chapter 57 – Operation Shamballa

Chapter 57 – Operation Shamballa

* * *

Toshiro opened his eyes with a feeling as if he slept for a week. The first thing he saw was the golden eyes and the beautiful face of his partner weapon.

"You sure are going lengths to satisfy me, Livy. You really must love me…"

"I do love you, and that's a fact, Master…" Livy smiled brightly. "Do you want me to do some… _service_ to you?"

" _Service_? What's the time?"

"The girls and the young Mistress are doing breakfast, estimated to arrive in a minute."

"So it's time for me to make my way then, Livy. If you want to _serve_ me, clothe me."

"As you wish, Master," she said, and Toshiro's clothes appeared on him.

He wiggled around a bit and said, "A perfect fit of clothes from a perfect lady. Thank you, Livy."

"Oh pshaw, Master…" she blushed slightly. "I'm not worthy of your praise."

"You may be somebody _assigned_ to me, Livy, but when you're with me, you'll be treated as any normal human."

"It's reassuring to hear, Master. Now, please go forth, or the girls will start worrying unnecessarily."

Toshiro smiled wryly, and his hand shot forward, landing on her head softly.

"Please, Master… The time…" she protested.

"Time can be stopped, Livy. Why don't you do it?"

"I could but… It's the world my Master created, and I don't want to accidentally break it…" she mumbled. "I should know my place…"

"And I should know my boundaries, we're even," he shrugged with one arm and continued patting her.

The door started opening suddenly, so Livy disappeared in a split second, and Toshiro retracted his arm ever so fast. The one opening the door came out to be Aya.

"Grandpa, why aren't you with us yet? I thought you were supposed to wake up on time?"

"Kye told you, huh?" he made a sour face. "I was talking to Livy, that's that."

"Livy? Then why did she run away?"

"Elder God, you'll never know…" he shrugged and jumped down onto the ground.

"I guess they _do_ have different thought patterns than us mortals…" Aya pondered. "Well, anywho, let's go, breakfast is being served."

"Is it worth my presence?" Toshiro asked in a pompous manner.

"Why yes, verily!" Aya answered in the same manner.

Both of them snickered fiercely and left the bedroom.

 **Dining hall**

"Oh myyyyy!" Elsa squealed while looking at the table chock full of food. "I can't wait to eat all of this!"

"Fuck no, this is for everyone!" Sieglinde shouted, but then she looked at Ellie. "Errr… S-Sorry…"

"Today I'm lenient towards everything," Ellie shrugged. "If you confess your sins from the stay here, you'll be officially forgiven."

"Really anything?" Elizabeth asked.

"Totally and absolutely."

Elizabeth took a deep breath, to which Katie started slowly opening her eyes wide.

"Shitty, fucking, cock-sucking, cunt-digging, ass-taking, communist-loving, faggot Neuroi won't mother-fucking see what fucking hit them for fucks sake!" Elizabeth yelled on one breath.

The girls looked stumped at the Britannian, and then at Ellie, who tried to maintain a poker face, although her eyebrows started twitching. The silence was broken by an applause from the door.

"Bravo, Elizabeth," Toshiro smiled. "Nice one."

"Oh, thanks… Heh…"

"You must have bottled that one up for a while…" Ellie tugged her collar. "But okay, I promised, and I won't be like that. But seriously, if you would fling such a cuss string yesterday… Ugh…"

"Ellie, I think that would be a bit more diverse in Lehish, right?" Toshiro asked.

"Uhhh… Yes, it definitely would… _Gówniane, jebane…_ " Ellie started muttering under her nose. "Wait a second, why am I even translating it aloud!?"

"Cuz swearing can be fun? You know, putting emphasis, setting the mood, venting emotions?" Toshiro asked.

"I know, I know… But you know my policy, and I'll stay at that," Ellie answered adamantly.

"I won't undermine your efforts. So anywho, what holiday is it today, that you didn't tie Elizabeth to the radio antenna on the top of the building naked yet?"

"We might as well loosen up a bit before battle," Ellie answered. "Just not too loose."

"Ah snap…" Sieglinde, who had her hands full with beer bottles, mumbled.

"ONE each," Ellie raised her finger. "Except you, Giulietta."

"Yeah…" the Romagnan sighed.

"Woohoo, beer!" Shinobu cheered. "Now the feast is complete!"

"Wish Kola could be here…" Marie said with a sad voice.

Katie patted her on the back and said, "When you have to go, you have to go. I bet Toshiro's wife is taking good care of him, right, Toshiro?"

"It's six AM there, Katie. The two are most likely counting sheep as we speak," Toshiro said. "But yeah, Yoshika knows how to handle guests, and she's very happy when she has them."

"Then I don't have to worry?" Marie asked.

"Nope, not at all," Toshiro smiled. "So, methinks we should start eating, or all the delicacies will get cold."

"I agree," Ellie said. "Let the last meal of the 777th, but hopefully not the last in our lives, begin!"

 **Edelweiss Residence**

 **0610 CET**

"Still not sleepy, Yoshika?" Kola asked with a bored voice, as they were sitting in the living room.

"No, still not one bit. Should I be?" she asked curiously.

"We woke you up in the middle of the night. That would be natural," he explained. "Especially after you've toured me through the whole residence through and through."

"There's just too much to think about right now, Kola. I can't sleep knowing what's happening over there in Orussia… Why does this have to happen again? Why wasn't Xadea the end? I have to sit here, and the only thing I can do is burden myself with thoughts of what could happen, because my magic power is weaker than what I've had during the Second Neuroi War, and that wasn't enough to put a dent in that Neuroi Matriarch…" she sighed deeply at the end of the last sentence.

"But Toshiro and Aya are there. Do you know how absurdly powerful they are?" Kola asked. "It's mind blowing!"

"I can't help to worry though, Kola. Toshiro's power is something abnormal for his age, and I'm afraid something might go wrong. And there's the matter of that Xadeus himself… From my experience, I can be almost completely sure that he won't be a pushover, oh no. The battle with Xadea would be lost if not for some miracle that happened to Toshiro. And you probably know that miracles tend to be one-time occasions, so I guess that this time they'll have to fight on their own," she pondered. "And the Orussians and Liberians are up to something, so that makes it worse… This is absurd, Kola… I'm more afraid than I was back then, during New Year's Eve 1945. Because I can't do anything…"

A plan sparked up in Kola's head as Yoshika went on, and he immediately started with its implementation.

"I don't know if I should say this, but you're beautiful, Yoshika," he interrupted her mid-sentence.

She blushed slightly and answered, "Oh… Where did that come from?"

"You're only two years younger than Toshiro, but…. You're so beautiful… Almost like my mom…"

"Ah… You told me about your mother in brief, but… Can I ask how she was in _detail_?"

"Of course you can, Yoshika. The memories of my mother are the most precious to me after all, but I do want to share them with everyone that may have interest."

 _"_ _Plan successful, I have to detour her from that awful martyrology, even if I have to spout my own…"_

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Dining hall**

"I'm so stuffed…" Elsa sighed, patting her stomach. "Ho boy…"

"You shouldn't have had all those seconds!" Sieglinde yelled. "Geez, you seriously must have used up all our provisions for this, Katie."

"Yup, we only have military crackers with cumin left in the freezer," she snickered. "So it would be best if we won and got dismissed!"

"Now that's a weird angle of approach to the situation…" Angela muttered. "But… If we win, and the Neuroi threat will be repelled forever… That means that we will be dismissed, and we can return home!"

Most of the girls were cheering, but Katie, Ellie, and surprisingly Giulietta were sulky.

"Hey, what is it, Giulietta?" Sieglinde asked warmly.

"Romagna is in shambles, I have no home anymore…" she said sadly.

Surprising everyone, Sieglinde slid closer with her chair and hugged Giulietta tightly.

"Home is where your heart is, Giulietta. I can ask my parents if they'll let you crash in our place."

"Oh my…" Giulietta teared up immediately and hugged the Karlslander back. "T-This is… the single most… thing… WAAAAAAH!" Giulietta started crying into Sieglinde's shoulder.

"Ho boy…" Elwyn smiled. "Say, I didn't knew Sieglinde could be so empathic…" she whispered to Elsa.

"That just means Giulietta is in her closest friend circle, basically on par with her family," Elsa grinned widely.

"She won't admit it with a straight face, but that's the truth…" Angela sighed.

"I think the phone is ringing, Mommy," Tatiana said suddenly.

"Oh crap!" Ellie jumped off her chair and ran off.

As almost everyone looked at the rushing Leh, some noticed Toshiro in a solemn mood.

"Hey, Toshiro, why the sour face?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'm thinking about stuff…" he replied emotionlessly. "Actually, I'll go for a walk and think about some more stuff…" he stood up, but Alissa caught his hand, earning herself a look that could kill.

"Just wait a minute, okay?" Alissa asked, not fazed by Toshiro's cold gaze.

"Whatever…"

 **Commander's office**

"Yes?!" Ellie shouted after grabbing the receiver.

"Podpolkovnik Horbaczewski, your orders are to cease any activity and standby for your departure at 1000 local time."

"Yes sir."

"Furthermore, your whole unit is to take place in the operation, sans the mechanic."

"Yes sir."

"Finally, the destination point is where the wormhole generators are placed."

"Yes sir."

"That is all. Do not disappoint me."

"I won't, sir!" Ellie shouted and the connection was cut off.

 _"_ _Sokolov again… Well, this is it then… The date and place for Armageddon is set… God help us…"_

 **Dining hall**

"So… I hope I won't be a bother?" Giulietta asked, drying off her eyes.

"Not in the slightest," Sieglinde replied smiling. "But I do hope you like kids."

"Why so?" the Romagnan tilted her head.

"I have a three year younger brother after all, that shit will probably tire you out faster than all the Neuroi that you've ever thought, hahaha!"

"Heh, we'll see…"

Ellie entered the room with a straight face and said, "We're leaving at 1000."

"You can go now," Alissa whispered.

Toshiro just huffed and went out of the room.

"What bit him in the butt?" Ellie asked.

"Philosophy," Alisa shrugged. "Okay girls, this means you all have to relax now. We have less than one and a half hours, so prepare yourselves mentally."

"Hey, I wanted to say that!" Ellie pouted.

"Oh, pardon, I guess my habit of commanding people went out," Alissa snickered.

"Duh, with that rank… But anyway, what Alissa said. Also, no more drinking alcohol, and if you think what you've ingested is somehow affecting you, go for a walk."

"We're fine," Sieglinde said and looked at everyone that had a beer. "Right?"

After seeing all the nods, Ellie said, "Good then, if that's all…"

"Err… I want to say something," Nami stood up.

"Ho boy…" Shinobu said.

"I'm bisexual," Nami dropped the bomb.

"And?" Katie asked. "I am too," she shrugged.

"Wait, what?" Nami tilted her head.

"Yes, Katie goes both ways, but she's surprisingly docile around me," Ellie explained calmly. "But why are you making such a great thing out of it, Nami?"

"Um… Errr… _Eto… Sono…_ " the Fusojin started fidgeting around.

Ellie raised an eyebrow and asked, "You weren't doing some… _forbidden_ things around, did you?"

Nami closed her eyes and quietly whimpered, "Yes…"

"Well, I didn't catch you red handed, and I did promise I would forgive anything so… You're off the hook..."

"Yay!" Nami's mood changed immediately.

"…if you tell me who you did it with," Ellie grinned mischievously.

Nami gulped audibly, and her face paled immediately.

"With me," Sieglinde raised her hand suddenly. "I'm bi too, which some of you already know anyway."

"If you did it with Nami, then perhaps somebody else was involved?"

Sieglinde covertly glanced at both Giulietta and Elwyn; the two looked at each other and raised their hands.

"Giulietta I understand, but Elwyn? What and when did I miss?"

"It's personal…" Elwyn blushed.

"Bah, whatever…" Ellie waved them off. "Everyone dismissed, and remember about our deadline."

"Roger!" the girls shouted.

 **Edelweiss Residence**

 **0645 CET**

"The more I listen to you, the more I get convinced that you should marry Aya posthaste," Yoshika giggled over a fresh cup of coffee. "You really are the best man for her."

"Uh, thanks, Yoshika…" he blushed slightly, scratching the back of his head.

"And thanks for taking my mind of… you know what… Nice plan you had there."

"You knew? Damn, I shouldn't take you lightly then…"

Yoshika laughed, but suddenly she shouted, "Oh crap! I have to call in to the hospital that I'm taking a day off today!"

"You work at a hospital?" Kola asked surprised.

"Of course I do," she said proudly. "I'm the head of the oncology department!"

"Very noble…"

"I'll talk to you about it later, okay? I really have to make that call!" Yoshika was running in place.

"Yes, yes, I'm not holding you or anything…"

Yoshika ran off to the corridor, and Kola wandered to the window, looking at the snowy forest all around.

 _"_ _Working at the hospital… Is that where Aya caught up her dream? My… What a family… The crème de la crème…"_

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Bedroom**

 **0850 MSK**

 **"** **Aya, I have something that will make you all laugh."**

 **"** **Oh, do you?"**

 **"** **Yes. Actually, Toshiro planned to pull it off, but he forgot it in the heat of the action, so I'll take his plan and go a bit further."**

 **"** **Huh?"**

 **"** **Wait a second, I'll tell you."**

After telephatically talking over the plan, Aya asked, **"Really? Is that… Appropriate before the battle?"**

 **"** **I see nothing wrong with it."**

 **"** **Okaaaaay… Let's do it then!"**

Aya looked over to the top bunk of the bed to the left of her, and saw Sieglinde staring a hole in the ceiling.

"Sigi," Aya said quietly.

The blonde Karlslander peeked over to Aya's side and asked, "What is it?"

"I have to talk with you in private. Can you spare me a minute?"

"Uh… Sure, Aya. Lead the way."

"Thanks, Sigi," she smiled and looked at Angela. "Angela, I think Alissa wants to talk to you."

"How do you know that? Oh, she's waving me in," she said and got off her bed.

The three walked together till one point, and split off, Angela going to Alissa, and the other two out to the corridor.

"So, what is it?" Sieglinde asked.

"Not here, Sigi. Let's go to Kola's room."

"K-Kola's room?" she stuttered visibly. "O-Okaaaaay…"

Aya took her hand, and Sieglinde stiffened up for a second, but she followed her friend to said room.

"Close the door, Sigi," Aya commanded.

Sieglinde quickly closed the door and asked, "A-Aya, d-do you w-want s-some a-a-action s-suddenly?"

"Sigi, you'll see some action right now, but it's not something you're thinking of right now…" Aya explained with an innocent smile. "We just have to wait for somebody else?"

"Somebody else?! Wait, do you want a threesome?!"

The door opened, and Angela came in with a nondescript brown paper bag.

"Heavens! Angela?!" Sieglinde shouted.

"Hmmm? Are you surprised?" Angela asked in a sultry tone.

"Oh my… Oh my…" Sieglinde started shooting her eyes between the two. "Wait, what's in that bag?"

Angela put her hand in the bag, and pulled out something that made Sieglinde's eyes grow wide.

"Oooooh no! Oh no no no no no _NEIN_!" Sieglinde protested, while slowly backing out.

"Well hello there," Aya said as Sieglinde bumped into her, and grabbed her shoulders firmly.

"Aaaaayaaaaa… Whyyyyyy?" Sieglinde whimpered with tears in her eyes.

"Because we can," Aya smiled.

"Prepare your ass!" Angela shouted and pounced at her.

 **Edelweiss Residence**

 **0700 CET**

"Now that we're all comfy before the fireplace, thank you by the way for firing it up, tell me one thing, Kola."

"Yes?"

Yoshika leaned forward, resting her chin on her two joined hands, and asked, "How's your sex life?"

Kola raised an eyebrow and asked, "Errr… Why does it interest you, Yoshika?"

"Out of a simple selfish desire, Kola. I want to be the first of the 501st to become a great grandmother."

"First I've heard of a woman that wants to become one… On the other hand, I don't know much about life…" he sighed. "But really, is that the only reason?"

"Weeeeelllll… I'm also a doctor, so maybe I could advise you this and that…" Yoshika mused.

"I thought you're an oncologist?!"

"I am. In addition, a pediatrician, general practice, geriatrician, and sexologist."

"When the fuck did you learn all those specialties?!" Kola shouted. "Whoops, sorry…"

"No, it's fine," Yoshika giggled. "People often react like that when I tell them how many diplomas I have in my portfolio. So, will you tell, or should I call Aya?"

"Ugh… Well… I was a virgin till I met her…" he mumbled.

"Ah, so you're implying that you've already done it?"

"Several times…" Kola answered red as a beat.

"Anything… kinky?"

"I don't know what kinky would mean…"

"X-somes, roleplay, S&M?"

"Errr… We had a threesome…"

"With who?!" Yoshika interrupted.

"Sieglinde…"

"Ah, so Erica's grandspawn… Hmm… Well, you two sure matched with your bodies - that's for sure…"

"No, Sieglinde's body is proportionally better developed than mine. My muscles are… there, and hers are worked out to the max, not to mention the almost complete lack of body fat."

"Except for her boobs," she giggled.

"And we had sex under the ceiling yesterday."

"Under the ceiling? So… Aya was flying, right?"

"Yeah… It was scary, but I guess I _stood_ up to the challenge." He smirked.

Yoshika laughed out loud and said, "Now that's what you call a healthy sex life! Now, I'll give you some spicy details and tips, so you two won't get bored with each other in bed."

 _"_ _Crap…"_

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Bedroom**

 **0905 MSK**

"Done," Angela said and moved away from the sulking Sieglinde.

"Can I at least look at myself in the mirror?" she grunted.

"Of course, here," Aya said and gave her a small pocket mirror.

Sieglinde took it, and looked at herself, first with distrust, and then with unhidden shock.

"Is… Is that really me?"

"In the flesh, Sigi," Aya smiled.

"Hooooly… This is actually the first time I'm wearing makeup in my life…" she gasped. "Angela, I didn't even know you were so proficient with a makeup kit!"

"Because in the army, I only use it for special occasions, you dunce," Angela snickered.

"Thanks… But I bet you want me to parade in this in front of the rest, huh?"

"That was our intention from the beginning," Aya said. "Come on, it will be fun!"

"They will all laugh at me…" Sieglinde mumbled. "I'm not going…"

"Says the one that shows off her naked body to us daily, and takes pride in exposing herself to Toshiro," Angela shot her down quickly. "Come on."

"Oh okay then…" Sieglinde sighed.

The three of them went out of the room, and down the corridor. When they stopped before the bedroom door, Aya said, "In you go, Sigi."

"M-Me first?"

Both the girls nodded.

"Okay…"

Sieglinde pressed the door handle and entered the room.

"Hey, Sigi, you're…" Elsa looked closer. "What the fuck?!"

To that, everyone had to react, and they looked at the Karlslander. She was clad in a pink dress, with her trademark ponytail spit in two pigtails, tied up with big pink ribbons. The makeup she was given subtly softened her sharp visage, and the carmine lipstick poked at the eyes of the observers.

Shinobu, Giulietta, and Elwyn all tried to bottle up the laughter welling up in them, trying to plug their mouths with either their hands or pillows.

"I knew it…" Sieglinde sighed and started turning around, but then Giulietta shouted, "You're beautiful, Sieglinde!"

Sieglinde turned back to her previous position, and asked, "Then why the fuck are you laughing?"

"Because it's all so sudden!" Elwyn laughed. "I mean come on; you're behaving in a manner that rules out being the least bit feminine!"

"True," Shinobu added. "You've turned a hundred and eighty degrees on that masculine behavior of yours, and you're standing in a pink dress and makeup, blushing like a teenager before her first date!"

"Just a shame that you don't have any boots to match that…" Marie looked at her legs carefully.

"I didn't have any with me," Alissa said from her bunk.

"So YOU put me up to this?!" Sieglinde yelled. "If you weren't my superior…"

"…I'd still kick your ass," Alissa stuck her tongue out and pulled down her right lower eyelid.

"Ugh, whatever… I'll just change back to my previous getup…"

"Leave the makeup, you really look pretty in it," Tatiana said. "Who did it for you?"

"Twas' me," Angela said from behind Sieglinde. "Want one too?"

"Uuuuhhh… Uuhhhh…" Tatiana looked around nervously and found Ellie. "Mommy?"

"If Angela gives me her utensils, I can do it myself, Sweetie," Ellie said so warmly she could melt the polar ice cap.

"Weee!" Tatiana cheered and hugged Ellie.

Angela walked up to them, pulled out a small box out of the bag and said, "Have at it, Ellie."

"Thanks, Angela. At very least, I'll see my future daughter in makeup."

"Aya, clothes," Sieglinde said.

"Aaaaawww… I wanted to look at you a bit more and…" Aya looked at Ellie, who silently was pointing at the camera on Tatiana's nightstand.

Aya reacted instantly, snatching the camera, and taking a picture before Sieglinde could even react.

"What the… AYA!" she roared. "I'll kill you!"

"First you have to catch me!" Aya cheered.

"There we go again…" Shinobu sighed.

 **Edelweiss Residence**

 **0710 CET**

"Wow…" Kola said stumped. "If you apply all of that to your love life, it's no wonder you two are still a happy married couple…"

"Sex isn't everything in marriage, but it definitely keeps things interesting," Yoshika smiled. "The most important things are for two people to understand, compliment, help, trust, and respect each other. The rest will follow on its own, trust me on that one."

"Did you have fallouts?"

"Only a few, but hoooooooo… We went nuclear back then, really…" Yoshika shook her head. "But one of us always found the right words, the other one backed down, and then we had apology sex."

"Apology sex… Sheesh… Is that even a thing?"

"Best sex ever," Yoshika giggled. "Wow, we're already talking like two old friends. So, to recap, first thing you do after you meet Aya again is knock her up."

"You really are serious, ain't you?"

"Well, I'm partially pulling your leg, but there's nothing like a child to cement the marriage," she laughed. "And I'll talk to Aya about a few things, so don't worry about your balls going blue!"

 _"_ _My brains is so full of fucks that I don't even…"_

"Whoops, it seems I overloaded you a bit," Yoshika said apologetically.

"I have to learn about my future bride, so keep it coming," Kola sighed.

"Okaaaay… I'll tell you about something even Aya doesn't know about, nor her parents for that matter. Be sure not to tell her until after the wedding, okay?"

"What could that be?" Kola asked intrigued.

"Aya had a rather complicated birth…"

 **Städtische Krankenanstalten Dortmund**

 **Maternal Ward**

 **September 1** **st** **, 1965**

"Push!" the doctor receiving the birth shouted. "Push!"

"I'm pushing, damn you!" Akiko yelled, wet from sweat and red on her face.

"Uuuuugh…" Janusz, her husband, swayed and fell right into the arms of Toshiro.

"Damn, what a wuss…" he and Akiko said in sync, making the assisting nurse and Yoshika giggle.

"I see the legs!" the doctor shouted suddenly. "Come on, Miss von Edelweiss, you can do it!"

Yoshika and Toshiro peered over the doctors back, and indeed, they saw two small feet coming out of Akiko's nether regions.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaargh!" Akiko roared in an animal fashion and the newborn infant slid out of her in one go.

"Amazing…" the doctor gasped, but soon his tone of voice changed. "Mein Gott…"

"Give her to me!" Yoshika yelled and butted out the doctor, taking the little girl.

The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck, and her face was already a deep hue of violet.

"Wh… What's wrong…?" Akiko asked tired. "You don't look okay…" she said and passed out.

Yoshika's animal features popped up, she ripped of the umbilical cord and after exhibiting a brief green glow, she said, "There's no pulse… Toshiro, there's still a chance, help me!"

He dumped Janusz like a sack of moldy potatoes and quickly ran up to Yoshika, who already was fully enveloped in a green aura, holding her hand on the girls forehead. Toshiro placed his hand on Yoshika's shoulder and fired up his Celestial Aura, which also enveloped Yoshika now. The doctor and the nurse looked amazed at the two, unable to do or say anything.

"Come on, Aya, come on! I know you HAVE to live!" Toshiro shouted. "Don't do this to me!"

After a minute, the doctor managed to move up to them, and with a trembling hand, he placed a finger on Aya's little neck.

"Nothing…" he said morbidly.

"There will be something, even if I have to be hospitalized myself!" Yoshika yelled with tears in her eyes.

Just after her dramatic shout, Yoshika opened her eyes wide. Toshiro fired up his Celestial Eye, and saw that the little heart in Aya's chest started pumping blood, and that her lungs started working. Aya herself immediately burst into a cry that every mother wishes to hear on the maternal ward, and it indeed woke up Akiko.

"Oh… Aya…" she smiled. "Can I have her?"

"Not a fucking word about what happened…" Toshiro whispered through clenched teeth to the doctor.

"Yes, p-please…" the doctor said.

Yoshika approached her daughter, and gave Akiko the little Aya, who calmed down in an instant.

"Aya…" Akiko said in a daze. "Mom, I'm a mother myself now…"

"Of course…" Yoshika smiled warmly.

Toshiro approached the doctor and whispered, "If as much as one word about what happened exits this room, I'll make sure you and that nurse won't find a job even in Southern Bantustan… Aya was born without complications, that's it…"

"Y-Yes sir…"

 **Present Day**

 **Edelweiss Residence**

"But… Why not tell her?"

"You know how she was until lately. It could undermine her quite a bit if she knew what happened."

"Yeah… She was quite fragile from what I've gathered…"

"But her willpower is simply godlike…" Yoshika winked.

"Yes… That's Aya…" Kola smiled.

 **Lebyazhye Air Base**

 **Bedroom**

 **0950 MSK**

"Where's that Grandpa…?" Aya asked herself quietly. "It's almost time!"

"Actually, it _is_ time," Ellie said and dropped down on the floor from the top bunk of the bed she, Tatiana and Aina occupied. "Ladies! Take your caps, your coats, your pistols, and a will to fight! Let's go!" she shouted.

"Roger!" the girls roared and started preparing in a hurry.

A minute later, they were all already driving the cars towards the hangar.

 **Hangar**

"Thanks for the last words of encouragement, Livy," Toshiro said to the golden-eyed goddess sitting at his side.

"Always to your service, Master," she replied softly. "Now, I'm taking my leave, as the rest is closing in fast. You can do it, Master!"

As she disappeared, the hangar door started opening, and the girls started running inside.

"Graaandpaaa! Theeere yoooouu aaareeee!" Aya cheered.

"Yeah!" he shouted back. "It's time, right?"

"Yes!"

"Okay then…" he said and slid into his Striker, and grabbed his MG3 H1. "Ready!"

He saw that Aya used her Time Dilution, and zipped into her Striker, grabbing her gun in the process.

"Also ready!" she cheered.

"Three can play that game!" Elwyn shouted and appeared in her Striker, wielding her MG, and with the G11 on her back. "Ready!"

"Show offs!" Shinobu shouted, and she was the fourth to mount her Striker.

"Damn, too slow!" Sieglinde yelled sourly as she jumped into her Tornado.

"Kids…" Toshiro sighed, and he looked as the rest mounted their Strikers.

Elizabeth took the _special_ sniper rifle, leaving her M82 to Sieglinde like before.

"Toshiro, do you have some left over rounds? And nitrous?" she asked as she rummaged a satchel that she pulled out of her Launch Unit.

He did a quick tiptoe to the crate he brought the rifle in, and pulled out two canisters, and a whole bandolier full of various glowing rounds.

"Well hello there!" Elizabeth cheered.

"I took them from home while I was there," he said and threw the items to the Brit.

"Is everyone ready?!" Ellie asked.

"Ready!" the attendees shouted.

"Then let's go! Into battle!"

"Roger!"

 **Airspace over Volgograd Oblast**

The whole 777th was flying in a delta formation, according to their roles and abilities. Shinobu took point as the eyes of the unit slightly forward and flying higher than the rest.

"Holy… They aren't kidding…" Shinobu reported.

"Something we should be worried about?" Ellie asked.

"In theory – yes. The commies brought so many armored units that you could make three parades out of it."

"Those idiots… They'll be wiped out firsthand, and _we_ will be the ones to protect them…" Ellie grunted.

"777th, you are ordered to land and enter the bunker," a familiar voice said through the comms. "Welcome back."

"Roger, and welcome, Professor Sakharov," Ellie smiled. "Okay ladies, remember that we don't have a landing strip here so be gentle on that throttle."

"Who do you think we are?" Elsa asked.

"You're the wrong one to brag…" Sieglinde sighed.

"Hey, Sieglinde?" Toshiro asked.

"Yeah?"

"Is that… makeup?"

"Don't ask…" Sieglinde broke formation to hide her embarrassment.

"It seems a small Karlslander started living in your brain, Toshiro," Alissa chuckled.

"Oh yeah?"

"His name is Alzheimer."

Some of the girls giggled, and Toshiro asked, "Did I miss something?"

"Sieglinde in a pink dress and ribbons," Shinobu said, trying to maintain a straight face.

"Ooooooh… Well, what a shame…"

"Don't worry, I took a picture," Aya grinned. "If we get out of this alive, I'll be sure to make big format copies for everyone!"

"My dignity…" Sieglinde wept in front quietly.

The witches and Toshiro started landing one by one. After each of them landed, a pair of soldiers took both their Strikers and weaponry. The soldiers were dumbfounded when it came to Elsa's M61 and Nami's L7A3, but the two were in such a good mood to move those themselves. After that, the whole lot entered the bunker at the same time.

 ** _Proyekt Avrora_** **Control Bunker**

"Sweet baby Jesus!" an Afro-Liberian Marine in the rank of Drill Sergeant shouted as the 777th entered the bunker. "Not too many of you guys?"

"Better that than five or less," Toshiro rebuked. "Liberian Marines? That's all they could spare?"

"They say "jump" and I ask "how high?" the Marine replied.

"Hooah!" the three with him shouted.

"Heh, countrymen…" Elwyn snickered.

"So you are the famous 777th?" he asked. "Okay then, we are obliged to escort you to the control room. Follow us."

"I know the way," Toshiro said and pointed at Ellie. "She too."

"Orders are orders, sir," another one of the marines said, and started whispering something to the Drill Sergeant.

"Make me," Toshiro grinned.

"Sir, we know who you are, but please, we just want to get this over with," the Drill Sergeant said.

"Ah, I like your tone," Toshiro smiled. " _Please_ is a very nice word."

"Can I take control over my own unit, Toshiro?" Ellie asked caustically.

"Of course you can," Toshiro replied no less aggressively.

"Cooooold!" Giulietta shouted.

"IVAAAAAAAAN!" Toshiro shouted from the top of his lungs.

The gatekeeper shot out of his guardhouse immediately with a whole cardboard box of slippers.

"I apologize for my tardiness, sir!"

"At ease, at ease…" Toshiro waved his hand lazily. "Help yourselves, girls."

The girls quickly took a pair each, and they stood there with satisfied faces.

"We're ready," Ellie said.

"Then let's go. Open the gate," the Drill Sergeant commanded the gatekeeper.

The poor man quickly ran back to the guardhouse and operated the door opening mechanism. The enormous gate screeched and started opening. Once opened wide enough, the 777th was led through the corridors.

"This is some spooky SF stuff…" Aina said. "An Orussian secret bunker in the middle of nowhere… This would make a nice movie."

"More like cheap anti-Soviet propaganda," Tatiana shrugged. "This bunker was built with top notch technology of my Motherland!"

 _"_ _It sucks that I have to behave like my old self again… But in the case of anything…"_

"Yeah, yeah… Boast on you damn commie," Elwyn said.

" _A u vas negrov linchuyut_ (And you are lynching Negroes) _!"_

"I don't know what the fuck you've meant, but fuck you!"

"Ho ho, you sure have balls to shout such things in Commieland!" the Drill Sergeant laughed.

"And what will they do to me? I'm still affiliated with my home unit, so they can only kiss my round ass!" Elwyn said proudly.

"Both of you can it. We're guests here," Ellie cut them short.

After a minute, they arrived at a room full of electronics and scientists.

"Welcome back, Professor von Edelweiss," Sakharov came forward. "And you too, young damsels." He looked at Aya and Ellie.

"Von Edelweiss?" a gruff voice asked, and a scientist with a mustache came out from behind a machine. "Well hello there!"

"Edwin?" Toshiro asked. "What the fuck are you doing here?!" he shouted as they shook hands.

"Me and Harold have been tinkering with the _final solution_ , and sent here to supervise its use."

"Agnew is here too?" Toshiro asked surprised.

"Yeah," He said as he entered the room. "Pardon girls," the girls made him way, and Agnew approached Toshiro. "Well then, we meet again, professor."

"Yup, long time, Harold," Toshiro smiled. "So what is it that you two have done?"

"The two crates over yonder hide your answer," Agnew said. "Open the bigger one first though."

Toshiro approached the crate and opened the locks. He saw an enormous tube with a handle and a trigger inside a foam inlay.

"I think I saw this before, but… Well, you came here all the way from Liberion, so you might as well flap your gums a bit."

"Indeed," Agnew smirked. "That's the XM-30 Davy Crocket Recoilless Rifle, a 203 millimeter prototype variant made especially to launch the XM-342 _Elysium_ warhead."

"You want to use a nuke on the Neuroi?" Toshiro raised his eyebrow. "Hold me somebody, because I don't know whether I should punch you or fall down laughing."

"The XM342 is not your everyday nuke," McMillan said. "That's a prototype warhead, whose true power is known only by a select few people, including President Reagan. Sorry, but we can't disclose anything about it, beside the instructions on how to use it."

"Are you _absolutely_ _sure_ you _know_ what you're doing?" Toshiro asked slowly, accenting the right words.

"We do," they answered in tune.

"And I have the orders," Sakharov passed Toshiro a black envelope, with _TOP SECRET_ and _Operation Shamballa_ written over it. "Please, open it."

Toshiro ripped the closed envelope open, and started scanning the content.

"You have to be fucking kidding me… This is suicide!"

"What is it, Toshiro?" Ellie asked.

"We are to designate two of the strongest witches of the 777th. They will launch into the Neuroi homeworld, using their Strikers, and launch the XM-342 warhead, and possible return back home."

"Shit, you're right…" Ellie muttered. "This is borderline suicidal…"

"I'll do it," Aya said. "If this is what's expected of me, I'll do it."

"But Aya…" Toshiro said.

"Sorry, Grandpa, but I think we don't have much choice, considering the timeframe," Aya said calmly.

"I will accompany you," Shinobu said with a straight face. "I'm the only one that can keep up with you in combat."

"Do tell!" Sieglinde shouted.

"Sigi, it's okay," Aya said. "Shino, are you sure you want to do this?"

"if I can help you end the war earlier, preventing an all-out battle, I will do it," she said adamantly.

Toshiro remembered something and looked at Alissa, and she nodded affirmatively.

"With the two of you, maybe you won't fail," Toshiro smiled. "Green on my end."

"If you say so…" Ellie muttered. "Girls, okay, you have my blessing."

"Thank you, ma'am," Aya smiled. "And I want to say that I don't want to say my farewells yet. I want to return to all of you, despite how this mission may look."

"Ayayaaaa!" Nami shouted and hugged her cousin tightly. "Promise me you'll return!"

"Yeah, promise!" Elsa hugged her from the other side.

"Of course, I promise that I will do everything to return alive."

"Nobody hugging me I guess…" Shinobu muttered under her nose.

Then, all of a sudden, Sieglinde embraced her with one arm and said, "Did you say something?"

"Uh… Maybe…"

"I don't want you to die either, you hear me?"

"I don't want to die either, Sieglinde. But some things we don't have influence on… However, I promise that what I can do, I _will_ do."

"I hate to interrupt…" Toshiro said. "… but according to this plan, the operation should start in five minutes."

"Already?!" the girls shouted surprised in sync.

"The generators are already warming up," Sakharov said.

"Okay girls, everyone beside Aya, Shinobu and… maybe Alissa out," Toshiro said. "Your task is to be in combat readiness in case something goes through the wormhole."

"Roger!" the chosen shouted and ran away.

"Come girls, I have to give you a brief tutorial on how to operate this," McMillan said. "I see that you want to say something like "I know how to operate it," or "How hard can that be," young Miss von Edelweiss, but do let me explain."

"Okay…" Aya blushed vividly.

They approached the box with the Davy Crocket, but the scientist waved in Toshiro.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Can you bring the crate in closer please? I'm not an eighteen year old anymore…"

"Heh, okay."

Toshiro took the locked crate, and moved it closer to where the girls were standing.

"And if you also could open it and pull out the warhead itself?"

"Ugh, whatever now…" he sighed and opened the crate.

A plump, stubby bomb, almost a meter in diameter, and less than that in length was lying in the crate in a similar way to the Davy Crocket, with a long tube beside it. Toshiro carefully took out the warhead, noting it's awfully heavy. McMillan in turn took the tube and said, "This is the rocket engine that you should attach to the warhead before mounting it in the Davy Crocket. It has a security cap on it, as well as where the place you should screw it on the warhead."

Toshiro looked around, and saw the cap on the back of the fin-stabilized warhead, and pointed it out to the girls.

"So pretty much like an RPG-7?" Aya asked.

"Yes, like that, although this has a longer thread," McMillan smiled. "You insert the rocket engine with the warhead attached into the tube of the Davy Crocket until you hear an audible click. After that you twist the ring on the neck of the warhead to disable the safety, and then, and only then, you pull out the safety pin from the trigger guard on the Davy Crocket. You point it straight up, fire, and wait as long as possible."

"Why wait?" Toshiro asked. "That only makes this more absurd!"

"Because after reaching its peak height, that is six kilometers, it will deploy a parachute, and once it falls down to three kilometers above the ground, it will detonate."

"Why not just make it go boom at three klicks in the first place?" Shinobu asked.

"Because, young lady, the rocket engines are immensely fast. Three kilometers is reached in five seconds, so you really wouldn't have time to run away."

"Makes sense."

"Generators running at 90% efficiency!" Isshiki shouted.

"Your time is up," Sakharov said. "I propose that you start your flight immediately, so the wormhole appears when you're at an appropriate altitude, to minimize Neuroi outbreak levels."

"What's the altitude by the way?" Aya asked.

"Fifteen thousand meters."

"Okay," Aya nodded. "Grandpa, may I?"

"Of course," he said and gave her the warhead.

"Ooof, heavy…" she said.

"I'll take that thing and the rocket engine," Shinobu said.

She put the Davy Crocket on a sling, and took the rocket engine in her left hand.

"Godspeed, girls," McMillan said.

"This might end the war," Sakharov added. "Succeed, and you will be heroes."

 ** _"_** ** _Or dead…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Toshiro…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Ugh… Yes?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Relax. I told you I will guide you, and I'm doing it all the time. Just kick back until the wormhole appears."_**

 ** _"_** ** _I do hope you're not pulling off another intrigue…"_**

Toshiro, Aya, and Shinobu walked down the corridors. When they arrived in the antechamber, the Marines, the gatekeeper, and the rest of the 777th started applauding them. Alissa dragged Toshiro two steps back, and started clapping her hands. Toshiro, with a sour face, also started applauding.

The two waited, and Aya said, "Thank you, everyone. Remember, I'll be back!

"Me too!" Shinobu cheered.

"See you, space cowboys!" Alissa shouted cheerfully.

The two quickly ran out of the bunker, mounting their Strikers, and taking their guns almost instantly. They fired up their engines, and after a few seconds, they already started climbing upwards.

"Let's go, ladies!" Ellie shouted. "We have to protect them and the rest of the saps on the ground!"

"Roger!" the girls cheered and started mounting their Striker Units.

"We have to go too," Alissa said to Toshiro.

"Is this even necessary?"

"Yes, it is. Trust me."

"I have problems with that…" he muttered and went forward.

Shinobu and Aya were already at ten thousand meters, when the _Avrora_ generators started glowing purple.

"Aya, the generators lit up, you sure we're not in way?"

"Absolutely."

Three rays of purple energy shot up from the generators, focused at one point, and shot up as one into the sky. An enormous purple vortex appeared, several kilometers wide.

"Punch it!" Aya shouted and grabbed Shinobu's arm.

They quickly accelerated and climbed the remaining distance very quickly.

"My body is getting tingly…" Shinobu said as they were almost at the wormhole.

"Mine too… I wonder if this is even safe?"

"So you don't intend to return, Aya?" Shinobu asked seriously.

"I want to…" Aya sighed. "But can we do it, Shino?"

"There's nothing a witch can't do…" Shinobu smiled a bit halfheartedly.

As they flew on, their vision started distorting, and finally went black.

* * *

 **Random Cowboy Bebop reference ahoy! Also some real scientists.**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	58. Chapter 58 – Iudicium Dei

Chapter 58 – Iudicium Dei

 **Chapter Title: Godly Judgement**

When they opened their eyes, they were flying towards the ground. The sun barely visible on the horizon, but it was enough to light the surface of the planet. Crystalline formations were dominating the red, barren landscapes, full of both craters and hills, eroded by time.

"It worked…" Aya gasped. "We're here!"

"We're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy…" Shinobu muttered. "Quick, Aya, we have to fire this thing and get out of here!"

"Okay!" Aya shouted and they bolted down to the Earth.

Upon landing, Aya noticed something. She dismounted her Striker, and threaded on the Neuroi Homeworld soil barefoot.

"What is it, Aya?" Shinobu asked.

"Look…" she pointed out at a silvery metal orb, covered with dust.

Both approached it, and they saw that the ball was cracked open, and that a small skeleton was lying just outside of the ball. It was dressed in a leather harness, and a barely visible glint attracted Aya to a small tag.

" _Лайка_ …" Aya said quietly. " _Lieber Gott…_ Shino… This is Laika…"

"Laika? You mean _the_ Laika? The dog that the Soviets sent into space in 1957?"

"Yes…" Aya said through tears. "And that's the Sputnik 2…"

"Poor thing…" Shinobu said and wiped off Aya's tears with her fingers. "Please, Aya, we have a mission."

"Yes…" Aya sniveled as she ripped the nametag off the harness, and stuck it into her pocket. "Our mission is more important… Rest in peace, poor pup…"

Aya quickly screwed on the rocket engine to the warhead, and stuck the resulting combination into the Davy Crocket. Shinobu turned the ring on the warhead, and then pulled the safety pin.

"Off you go, Aya," Shinobu handed her the recoilless rifle over.

"Are you sure? Don't want to be the one that fired it?"

"You already have one hero in the family; two will make a nice pair," Shinobu giggled.

Aya took the enormous rifle and pointed it straight upwards. She pressed the trigger button, and quite opposite to its name, it recoiled heavily with a grand bang, launching the projectile. Aya used time dilution, and saw that fins slid out of the back of the rocket engines.

Shinobu used her Magan Kai, but beside the rocket slowed down a bit, she saw that the sky was black from the Neuroi surrounding them. She opened her mouth but could only give out a dry creek.

"What is it, Shino?" Aya asked.

"L-Look at the s-sky…"

Aya looked up, and besides the wormhole, she saw nothing extraordinary.

"Nothing, just a dark sky, a lot…. Oooh, woooow, such pretty stars! And two moons!"

"Use your Ryugan!" Shinobu yelled.

Aya immediately enabled the familiar-given magic, and she almost sat on the ground out of surprise. On the edge of her vision, she saw a blurry figure, and when she turned her eyes towards it, the figure materialized before the two of them.

A humanoid entity with a trapezoid body, a deltoid head and thin triangular arms, exhibiting a typical Neuroi pattern was hovering silently, but soon it said, "How long have I longed to see you, Murderers Blood."

Shinobu was struck in fear, but Aya just calmly asked, "Are you Xadeus?"

"Indeed, that is the name I have been given."

"Given? Then you have a creator?" she asked.

"I have no recollection of ever physically or mentally interacting with him or her. My only memories consist of the fact that he or she exists, and that my name is Xadeus."

"A-Aya, w-what are you doing?" Shinobu asked.

"I'm trying to get some information, Shino…" she responded calmly.

"Information is not free, Murderers Blood," Xadeus said. "You have no choice but to fight me."

"Why do you insist in calling me that?" Aya asked.

"Because that is what you are. You are the descendant of the Chosen One, and that makes you guilty of murdering my beloved."

"Your _beloved_ was a monster threatening the existence of the whole human race! If she and her monsters haven't invaded our planet, that wouldn't happen."

"Which doesn't change the fact that your ancestor has killed her cold blooded," Xadeus' emotionless metallic voice rang in the air. "And once I kill you, I will have avenged my Xadea by killing him and the entirety of Humanity."

"I will fight you, Xadeus, but only under one condition," Aya said adamantly.

"You are not in a position to demand anything, but know my good will. I will hear you out, but I shant guarantee anything."

"I want this a fight one on one. Your thousands of lackeys will stay out, and Shinobu gets to return back to Earth."

"A-Aya!" Shinobu shouted. "I-I'll fight!"

"So be it," Xadeus said. "If you want to put yourself in a disadvantage, be it your way. I won't suffer without the help of my minions, and your friend will be dead anyway soon after you will meet your maker."

"Aya…" Shinobu started tearing up.

Aya walked up to Shinobu, and unexpectedly kissed her on the cheek.

"I truly hope we'll see each other again," Aya said with a bright smile. "Now forgive me…"

"Wha…"

Aya flared up with an orange aura and with the help of Time Dilution and her Super Strength, she threw Shinobu straight towards the wormhole with ultrasonic speed.

"And with that, we are all alone," Xadeus said and raised his hand and formed a big red energy ball. "And I will ensure it stays so."

"NO!" Aya shouted and bolted forward, but she was too late as the beam was shot straight at the wormhole.

 **Airspace over the Volgograd Oblast**

Everyone was waiting for something to happen. Only the quiet whiz of the jet engines was heard.

"The wait is killing me…" Elwyn said.

"Count me in." Giulietta added.

"You're not the only ones…" Tatiana sighed.

Suddenly, a small object started falling from the wormhole with great speed. Toshiro zipped towards it faster than anybody could notice what it was, and just before he neared it, a gigantic beam swept down from the wormhole, aimed right between the wormhole generators.

He stopped the time around him in a five-kilometer radius, and looked at the beam, which almost reached the target.

"Toshiro, I advise you to exercise haste," Alissa said as she appeared at his side. "If you want to save the people under the generators, you know what to do."

"As fuck…" Toshiro's face got distorted with rage.

He enabled his Celestial Eye, and saw a dozen of people in a three hundred meter radius around the predicted epicenter of the beams impact. Toshiro quickly teleported around, and gathered the twelve in a space outside the bunker. Once he resumed a normal time flow, the beam hit, and an enormous red spherical explosion disintegrated everything in a two hundred meter radius, ripping a crater where the generators stood.

Toshiro caught the quickly falling Shinobu he saw earlier.

"Aya has gone insane!" she shouted. "She's fighting Xadeus alone!"

"Fuck!" he cried. "And now the wormhole is down too!"

 ** _"_** ** _Kye!"_**

He noticed immediately that the world has gone monochromatic. "Kye, I hope you know what you're doing…" after turning around, he noticed that her eyes were displaying a rainbow septagram. "Yup, this shit will be serious."

"Toshiro, wait a moment. I'll re-enable the time flow, and there's a surprise from Xadeus. Be prepared."

"You will answer my question…" Toshiro said barely keeping his rage in check.

"Don't worry, I will. And you'll have an occasion to vent that attitude of yours in… now!"

The world regained it's color, and suddenly, the ground started shaking.

"What's happening?!" Marie asked clueless, but at the same time, some enormous shape shot out of the hole.

Once it landed on the ground, one could recognize something never seen before - an Invert bipedal Walker-type with enormous cannons on its shoulders and instead of arms, growing slowly each passing second, starting at a humble half-kilometer.

"What kind of abomination is that…?" Ellie gasped, and as soon as she ended her utterance, every capable cannon and rocket launcher started shooting towards the Walker.

"That won't work…" Toshiro sighed. "But I know something that will!

A white smooth shape, starting at his wrist, and widening mildly further on, with two thin rectangles, made of the same material as the outer part of Oblivion Lost, cut under a forty-five degree angle at the ends, with the cut parts facing outwards. Between them were two more rectangles, smaller, and with the cut parts going towards each other, made from the inner part of Oblivion Lost, with about a two-finger space between them.

 ** _"_** ** _Livy, Apocalypse Mode!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Roger, Master!"_**

The rectangles suddenly elongated themselves twofold, and spread apart at a sixty-degree angle. The inner rectangles turned around ninety degrees, and all of the rectangles moved towards the center axis of the weapon, starting from their center, forming a ninety degree angle, like four enormous claws.

Before Toshiro's eyes, and only visible for him, a red HUD appeared, stating the following.

 ** _Shiryah Guidance System v3.0_**

 ** _Boot sequence complete – Welcome, Master Toshiro_**

 ** _Synch – 400%_**

 ** _All system values nominal._**

 ** _!WARNING!_**

 ** _Apocalypse Mode Enabled – Proceed With Caution, Master_**

"Pretty…." Elsa gasped.

"What's that for a contraption, Toshiro?" Ellie asked.

"The end of that mother fucker," he pointed at the walker.

Toshiro got a bead on it with his Celestial Eye, and started charging his attack, firing up his Celestial Aura at the same time. A small orb of monochromatic magic started growing at the focal point of the _Livygun_. The bars on his HUD, representing the charge level, were stacking up rampantly, to the point that a counter appeared under one.

When the orb reached a significant size, Toshiro disappeared from everyone's view, reappearing under the Walker. He lifted his hand up and yelled so that everyone heard.

"CELESTIAL NOVA!"

Something bizarre happened, as the Walker disappeared all of a sudden, and a blinding explosion appeared in the sky above them just a second afterwards.

"What the fuck happened…" Ellie muttered as she saw that the Livygun started disappearing from Toshiro's hand.

"Toshiro got serious," Alissa smirked from her side. "Really damn serious…"

"Wow, so the previous big battle was just casual serious?" Shinobu asked.

"Kinda…" Alissa shrugged. "But don't rest right now, ladies. I feel we'll have our hands full…"

"As in?" Sieglinde asked.

"Oh fuck, I'm too tired…" Toshiro sighed through comms. "Heads up girls, the incoming Neuroi are yours to battle until I catch my breath. I think you'll manage," he said and disappeared, reappearing by Ellie's side.

"What are we up against?" she asked. "Anyone?"

"I feel them…" Katie said with a grim face. "Grounds troops, hundreds of them."

"Pfffeeeeeh! This will be a shooting gallery!" Elwyn snorted.

"Of course it will be, for the Neuroi," Ellie rebuked. "Ladies, and single gentleman, memorize the positions of the allied troops on the ground; we have to minimize the casualties. I hope I don't have to tutor you how to do that?"

"No ma'am!" the girls shouted in sync.

"Angela and Tatiana, you work together to coordinate our efforts, we need lightning fast response to any signs of overwhelming of our allies."

"Roger!" the two saluted and started glowing.

"The rest of you are to give your earnest to help the poor saps down there. They vowed to give their life to the Motherland, but this is simply genocide," Ellie frowned.

"Enemies emerging!" Angela shouted.

Everyone looked at the enormous crater and saw that enemies started crawling out of it en masse. Inverted Walker-5's, Turtle-5's, Crawler-5's were bunched up in a red-black mass of brutal, animalistic force.

"Wheeeeew…" Aina whistled. "Those tanks are fucked."

"Unless we give 110%!" Ellie shouted.

"Yeah, 120% even!" Shinobu roared.

"One-motherfucking-hundred and fucking fifty percent!" Elizabeth joined in.

"Two hundred percent, and that's my last offer!" Ellie yelled. "To battle!"

Everyone except for Toshiro and Alissa zipped forward with blinding speed. At the same time, the tanks on the ground started firing, but instead of the usual orange flame from the cannons, one could observe red blinks of light. Enemies hit with the rounds from the tanks disintegrated immediately into the usual shower of flakes.

"Neurite shells…" Toshiro grumbled. "They sure are taking risks…"

"Neurite?" Tatiana asked across the comms. "What's that?"

"Whoops, I was on… Well, Neurite is a material that the USSR synthesized from Neuroi cores just half a year ago. It's immensely effective both against witches and Neuroi, but it has a one flaw – it's extremely poisonous and radioactive. Hundred cubic centimeters of Neurite have to be shielded by a twenty-centimeter thick layer of cast lead…"

"So… Are those guys in the tanks unshielded now?"

Toshiro scanned one of the tanks with his Celestial Eye, and saw that each one had a container built to that spec, but the lids on them it was open. After crosschecking with the rest, and seeing the same, he said," Tatiana, tell the tank crews to close the lids of the ammo containers between shots, or the radiation will kill them faster than the Neuroi."

"Roger! But… How…"

"Do it, please," Toshiro said firmly.

"O-Okay!"

Tatiana flared up with her magic and she started sending the following message, "To every tank with Neurite shells – please close the ammo container lid between shots, the ammunition is hazardous!"

"You think that'll work?" Alissa asked.

"Fuck me, I don't care," Toshiro shrugged. "I have a clear conscience…"

"Right… Let's watch the battle, this is much better than trying to move a proverbial mountain with your bare hands…"

And indeed, the sight was overwhelming. The girls truly gave 200%, as Final Arts flew around as fast and frequently as conventional bullets. Angela was coordinating the efforts, so that whenever there was a serious risk of a tank being damaged, she always moved somebody over immediately. Toshiro looked over in the best moment, as Sieglinde threw a Blitzkrieg right between three Walkers, destroying all of them on the spot. But Giulietta also wasn't goofing around, and her Sol Invictus cut it's way through countless enemies, just after Katie annihilated a whole battalion of Turtles with her Final Art.

And suddenly, the world around Toshiro froze, just as Elizabeth started her combo Final Art with Katie.

"To think that you would take _my_ signature technique, and change it into something that set that Walker flying past the Sun in less than a second? Scary, Toshiro," Kye giggled.

"You forgot to mention that the Celestial Eye is the best way to analyze each and every technique, so it's your fault for using it before me," Toshiro shrugged. "But I didn't know that it could be that powerful... Anyway, since you went through the trouble of stopping the world… Answers, now!"

"Please, Toshiro, let's take a seat. I know you're now a maelstrom of emotions, but trust me."

A sofa appeared out of the thin air, and Toshiro decided to take up upon Kye's offer.

"So, what the hell are you planning, Kye? As you may _feel_ , my dear granddaughter is in a pickle, and I would like to help her." Toshiro tried to keep calm.

"You can't, Toshiro."

"And why can't I, my dear near-omnipotent friend?"

"You're really creepy when you use your intellect to speak in such a manner… Well, my dear friend, the thing is that you really, physically, can't help Aya. Unless you want to part with your life."

"Kye, please! Look at me! I'm almost God here!"

"But you know, Toshiro, Xadeus is more powerful than you will be even if powered up to the max," Kye said calmly.

A shadow of disbelief crept upon Toshiro's face as he asked, "So that would mean…"

"You would be wrecked alongside Aya."

"But… I trained so long… And… but Aya! That means she left on a suicide mission!"

"Trust me, Toshiro, even I wouldn't do that if I didn't knew that there is a shard of hope," she embraced him with one hand.

"So… There is still hope Aya will live?" he asked.

"That's right, Toshiro. Everything will slowly unfold, one event after another. But what's the end? You'll see yourself. Now, don't get worked up like that, and sit. I don't want you to have another heart attack."

"Yeah… But, oh, Kye, you said to me that if the need arose, you would train me…"

"True, Toshiro, but I would help you IF and only IF you would be needed to be the hero. But you don't need such absurd power. For a mortal, you're already the top of the best of the mightiest in YOUR world, and that's all that counts."

"But Doran…"

"Doran Shmoran. Believe me, Toshiro; he needed that power. He needed every single digit that a measurement of his power would show. You know why? Because of the power scale of his opponents. He told you he's three million times more powerful than you, and he didn't lie for a second. I also had my own league in which I had to compete."

"How much…" Toshiro mumbled.

Kye showed him the figures, and he just grabbed his head and shook it violently.

"Yes, Toshiro, Doran was absurdly strong when simply compared to you, even in your prime when wielding Oblivion Lost, but right back then I could probably kill him with a careless slap during sex."

Toshiro cracked a small smile.

"I knew you would smile, even without my powers," Kye grinned. "Now you have to let Aya take care of her business."

"But how will she do it? Can she use her Celestial Aura and Hikarimaru to her fullest?"

"Hikarimaru for sure, but if she mastered the Celestial Aura yet? Who knows…?" she winked.

"You're hiding something from me," Toshiro said with all seriousness.

Kye smiled and said, "Of course I am. But you wanted to hide it from you, and you've hidden it from yourself too."

"Tell me, Kye. If it's something that can help, on the name of the Primordial Goddess, I beseech you, tell me!"

"Well yes, this would help. But I won't let you use the outcome of this knowledge, oh no. You will die from old age, just like it's supposed to be."

"Will you tell me already, or should I what, kill myself?"

"No, you don't have to. You see, my dear Toshiro, there never was a second champion of the Allgod."

"What? But Aya is…"

"She's the actual first champion, Toshiro."

"I still don't understand…"

"Ugh, you sure put some nice locks on your memory there, Adamshiro…" Kye sighed and flicked his forehead.

Suddenly, a stream of memories surged into Toshiro's consciousness.

"Nooooo…"

"Yes, Toshiro. You are Adam, the Allgod. You wanted it all to happen like this, up to this point, and I just enforced your wish. You knew yourself that Aya should evolve on her own, and that she should defeat Xadeus on her own. You knew about all the hardships that would happen to her. But you did the best thing an Elder God could do – nothing."

"This is probably the first thing in my life that I achieved by doing nothing," Toshiro slumped back on the sofa. "But does this mean that during the time in the gym, and with the Celestial Nova…"

"Your _spirit of justice_ cracks the very shackles placed on your godhood, Toshiro," Kye smiled. "Those two occasions showed your godhood briefly, albeit on a level of immortal humans, not a true Elder God. If you executed the Celestial Nova on an Elder God level, you would most likely destroy the Sun and at least Mercury and Venus. Right now, the Celestial Nova was already two times faster than light. Who knows, maybe this whole Solar System could perish…? You know how powerful Elder Gods are first hand, right?" Kye smirked after saying the last words.

"I am one after all," Toshiro grinned. "I have memories of both the creation and destructions of many worlds, both through simply _poofing_ stuff out of existence, or by using some other methods…"

"There you go! And yes, I know that you're capable of faster-than-light combat, no need to brag that you can bend the whole world around you to your will with the Celestial Order," Kye chuckled.

"Spoilsport…" Toshiro mumbled. "You probably won't let me to kill myself so I can go help Aya, am I right?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"And how about using the ring?" Toshiro asked, looking at the _present_ from the Primordial Goddess.

"I won't forbid you that, but use some common sense and stay out of this for a while, okay?"

"Yeah…" Toshiro mumbled. "Hey, Livy, come on out!"

The blonde kimono-clad weapon in her human form popped up on his lap and immediately hugged him.

"Master Adam! Finally!"

"Of course, my sweet little ditz. Do you hear this rainbow eyed hag over by my side? She won't let me help Aya!" Toshiro shouted with false pretense.

"Oh Master, don't be like that. You know deep down in you that Aya will manage."

"Yes, yes, I know. You damn mind reader!"

"Heehee, guilty as charged."

"Ehhhh… You think it's wise for me to retain my memories of my _Allgodness_?"

"You will be fine, Master. Am I right, Kye?"

"You are right, Livy. Toshiro matured enough to keep this knowledge," Kye smiled and turned towards him. "But you know that rules apply."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh… I thought I had that behind me…"

"Sorry, Bub, either I lock your memories back again, or you show some self-restraint."

"You know very well what I'll reply…" Toshiro mumbled.

"Ha, true! I sometimes forget I'm nigh omniscient… Well, let's kick back and watch the fight."

"With your power, I can guess you can make it so we're sitting on this sofa, and my dear Aya will battle with Xadeus at the same time?"

"Bah!" she said and spawned an enormous TV set. "Let's switch to Neuroi Homeplanet TV."

"I just hope there aren't any commercial breaks…"

"Heehee…" Livy giggled.

All of a sudden, a smaller Kye appeared on Kye's lap.

"Oh look, another Elder God…" Toshiro mumbled.

"My wuvwy Joey came to me to watch a battle?" Kye asked while patting Jouten on her head.

"Yes," the anthropomorphized sword answered in glee.

Toshiro felt a nudge and looked at Livy.

"Jiiiiiiiiiiii…" she gave out the Fusogo onomatopoeia for staring, which literally was written above her head.

"What?"

"Jiiiiiiiiiiiii!" her glare intensified and her eyes shot briefly towards Kye and Jouten.

"Oooooh… Geez, Livy, you have a voice nice enough to tell me what you want…" he sighed and started patting her on the head.

"Livy is just being coy," Kye explained. "After all, she's with her master after a long break."

"Well, yeah, figures…" he smiled.

Suddenly, a portal appeared just beside the sofa, and a familiar redhead pair appeared beside Toshiro, with the piece of furniture suddenly extending itself.

"Yo!" the two cheered in unison.

"You too?! For fucks sake… You did enough just to pass on Hikarimaru to Aya, Kaylie."

"Hey, I wanted to join in on the festivities!"

"Me too! I always wanted to play with Aya, but Mom forbade us… Very… Very firmly…"

"Didn't Kaylie tell you?"

"Tell her what?" the redhead wondered. "Oh, that! Ugh… Heh… I dun forgot…"

"Jesus Mary Joseph Batman on stilts!" Toshiro shouted. "You're a damn goddess, and you forgot?!"

"Well, actually… I just didn't know if I should relay that conversation we had back then…"

"Ugh… I suppose I can lift that ban… What do I care anymore…?" Toshiro sighed resigned. "Now, can we fi…"

And yet again, the sofa extended itself, this time from the left side beside Kye, and another flame haired person appeared.

"Doran? The fuck?"

"Sup, Kiddo?"

"Hoho, wait until I die! I'll cap your ass for calling me that all the time!"

"I'll be waiting eagerly, bahaha!"

"Anyone else coming?" Toshiro asked while looking at Kye.

"Errr… I could fetch Elizabeth, your favorite."

"First you'd had to kill me so I'll be reborn…" Toshiro muttered. "And I will pick my bone with her, don't you worry."

"Okay, okay, sourpuss. Now, nobody else will join. Let's begin!" Kye snapped her fingers and the TV came on.

 **Neuroi Homeplanet**

Aya summoned Hikarimaru and took a side swing at Xadeus. When she thought it would connect, she banged off something. Then she saw that Xadeus had two red crystalline swords protruding out of his arms.

"Wonderful!" Xadeus shouted. "An opponent finally worthy of me! But it's still not enough!" he roared.

He disappeared into thin air, and Aya used her peak Time Dilution abilities right off the bat. She turned around and barely blocked the double overhead chop from Xadeus, which pushed her back several dozens of meters back in the air.

 _"_ _He's so strong… Neuroi Commander strong! This Striker, good as it may be, is hindering me… Sorry, Grandpa… I'll promise I'll help you to rebuild it!"_

Aya jumped out of her Striker and engaged in Free Flight.

"Aaaah, interesting…" Xadeus said. "I never knew humans were capable of flying without machines… But this is irrelevant!" he shouted and disappeared again.

Aya sharpened out her senses to the maximum, and this time she managed to parry the single backhand blow, and launch an overhead strike enriched with the power of a simple Reppuzan. She was deeply surprised that the blow bounced off a layer of red energy, throwing her slightly off balance, but she used that momentum to spin around her lateral axis and deliver a crushing blow to Xadeus' side.

The enemy was struck back several meters, and the two were glaring at each other fiercely.

"I have felt the impact of your blow, despite shielding myself. Commendable, Murderers Blood."

 _"_ _I have to end this fast! First I'll try to go use the Celestial Aura."_

Aya wasn't breaking eye contact with the enemy, and she was focusing to bring up her most powerful aura forth. Her current aura started flickering, but Aya noticed with fear that neither black nor white sparks weren't appearing around her body.

 _"_ _I still can't do this! What's wrong with me?! How can this be, that after such training, I can't do something like this!"_

"Is there a problem?" Xadeus asked.

"Nothing I will tell you, monster," Aya rebuked coldly.

"But there seems to be a problem. But if there's a problem, there might be a solution. And a solution can mean my dissolution. Therefore…"

 _"_ _Kari, I need to…"_

Aya looked at Xadeus, who started glowing red on his whole body. All the crystals on the planet started glowing red, and he said, "This is your end."

 _"_ _Kari!"_

A surge of excruciating pain traveled through Aya's whole body, making her scream aloud.

"Yes, scream!" Xadeus yelled. "Feel the pain that I felt! Feel the rage of the planet!"

She grabbed her head and tried to recollect her thoughts, but the pain resonated in her with such intensity, that even the voice of Kari couldn't pierce it. Aya opened her eyes, and her heart almost froze as Xadeus appeared just before her. The pain her whole body receded, but now both her shoulders felt as if they were on fire. Aya carelessly looked down, and saw that Xadeus' blades pierced both her shoulders.

"You are mine now," he said and ever so slowly started pulling out the right blade.

Aya whimpered in pain, with her eyes tearing up involuntarily. She tried to find the _switch_ in her mind, but it slowly started getting clouded.

Xadeus finally pulled out the blade, and retracted his arm all the way back.

"The honor of being the first human on Earth slain from my hand will be yours," Xadeus said, and the blade rushed towards her.

 **Pocket Dimension**

The picture on the TV froze just as the blade reached half of its way towards Aya's throat. Toshiro was furious, emanating his Celestial Aura in a never before seen intensity.

"Kye, what… the… FUCK?!" he yelled standing. "Aya is about to die right there! She couldn't use the Celestial Aura, nor she could awaken Hikarimaru!"

"Time for the last piece of the puzzle, Toshiro," Kye slowly raised herself from the couch. "You know why Aya _can_ use the Celestial Aura?"

"Because she's my granddaughter," he answered coldly.

"Yes and no, Adamshiro. She has no claim to divinity, or even immortality, as Akiko, her mother, was conceived in your mortal state, and while in your Elder God form, you ruled it out anyway. She does however have a connection to you, thanks to being your champion, and that's what enables her to use the Celestial Aura."

"Then why the hell is she unsuccessful in using it so many times?!"

"As I said sometime before, it's not a matter of training. The thing is that there is a small connection between your divine state and your mortal state, enabling you _and_ Aya to use the Celestial Aura. The problem though is that although you can use it without any problems, since you are who you are, but Aya… Let's say that her deep subconscious is sometimes refusing to use it."

"She doesn't want to use my power? What the hell?!"

"Very deep down, Aya is stubborn like a mule. She wants to rely on her own strength, and not on some given power. When it was necessary, she used it."

"Kye, if you're shitting me, that's a damn good job you're doing, but look! She's on the verge of death right now, and no aura whatsoever!"

"That's another problem, this time with your mortality. The connection between your two states, although the _security_ started to erode, still isn't something that could even match an immortal living for a hundred years. It's sufficient to supply Aya with the Celestial Aura on the same planet as you are now, but not something fifty parsecs away."

"Then just get me over there, case closed! I won't even lift a damn finger!"

Toshiro was about to explode with just rage, but he squinted his eyes and said, "You have something up your sleeve! Wait… Wait… I'll get it myself…"

"I know you can do it, Master!" Livy cheered.

"Of course you know, because you're nigh omniscient!" Toshiro shouted. "Let me think, please…"

"Okay, Master," Livy smiled.

Toshiro rewound all his memories from the day he met Kye, up until the present moment.

"The fact that my true memories from the battle with Xadea got unlocked by you helped quite a bit, Kye…" he smirked and showed her his left hand, on which the inconspicuous ring was present.

"Well lookie here!" Doran cheered. "He got it!

"Care to tell me how to use it? That part is a bit fuzzy in my memories…" Toshiro looked at Kye.

"Oh Toshiro…" Kye said.

"Right, right…" he interrupted and closed his eyes.

 ** _"_** ** _Primordial Goddess, you gave me this ring for a purpose. I may not know this purpose completely, but please, let me help my granddaughter. She has suffered enough in her short life, and she didn't yet compensate for all those years."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Very well. I know you want answers, and I shall provide you with them shortly. As for the current moment, you only have to focus your willpower on the ring I have bestowed upon you."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Thank you…"_**

Toshiro felt as energy coursed through him, and he focused his whole being on the ring. It started glowing with a rainbow light, visible even through his closed eyelids, which intermixed with the monochromatic radiance of the Celestial Order. He felt as his whole existence merged with the surrounding universe, and then, he opened his eyes.

He stood there, clad in a black bodysuit, sparkling with stars, surrounded by a dim black light. An enormous scarf made out of dark matter was wrapped around his neck, furling wildly as if a typhoon was rampaging in the pocket dimension.

Immediately he felt Livy hugging him from behind.

"You're back, Master… In your immortal glory…"

"Yes, Livy, I'm back…" he smiled. "But hold off your celebration for now, okay?"

"Yes!" she cheered.

"Toshiro, just, you know… Don't overdo it, okay?" Kye asked.

"I won't do a thing to anything around Aya, that's for sure. It's her fight to win, even if I… help her a _bit_ …" he smirked. "And don't even start rambling about anything, because it would by hypocrisy to the umpteenth degree!"

"Your world, your rules," Kye shrugged.

"Oh fucking thank you for finally acknowledging that! Took you a while…" Toshiro said caustically.

"Remember that one of them says that I take over upon your absence. You never absolved me from that promise I made to you countless eons ago."

"Should I?" he asked.

"You don't have to," Kye smiled. "And no, I'm not trying to guilt trip you or anything."

"Then I won't. I think you were a good stand-in for all the time. Even if you followed my instructions word after word, especially concerning the Neuroi…"

"Back then I wasn't the same Kye I am now, I was a bit more… rigid so to speak," Kye looked up, raised her hand, and made a small ball of rainbow energy. "Here, take this."

"What's that, Kye?"

"Those are my personal memories. You asked for them, and here you are."

"I don't know if I should take this…"

"Give me yours in return; I have a few blanks myself. But remember – I'm giving you everything I know, nothing held back. I expect the same in return."

"That's fair," Toshiro said, and formed a small black ball, shining white.

"Okay, on three we lay our hands on each other's balls," Kye said.

Toshiro and Doran snickered at the same moment, and Kye shouted, "Shut the hell up you hairy pervs!"

"One," Toshiro said.

"Two," Kye followed up.

"Three!" both of them shouted and grabbed the balls of energy.

"Holy shit…" Toshiro said as the surge of memories dug into his existence.

"You can say that again…" Kye mumbled. "Adamshiro, if you neglect Livy like previously, I'll kick your ass."

"That was beyond me, and you know it," Toshiro shrugged. "You sure had a fucked up life… Anyway, I have to help Aya."

"Go for it."

 **?**

Aya was slowly regaining consciousness. She opened her eyes, and she saw that she was on a meadow, full of withered grass and flowers. The sky was dark, with red lightning crossing it at random intervals.

"Where am I…?" she asked herself while looking around.

Then she spotted a hooded figure, sporting a dark suit and an enormous fluttering scarf.

"W-Who are you?"

The figure started moving, and from each step, the meadow was rejuvenated, regaining its original vivid green color. When the figure approached Aya, it spoke, "I'm here to help you, Aya."

"That voice… I know that voice…"

The figure raised its leg and slammed the ground. An omnidirectional wave of energy surged through the whole space around them, and in a few second, they were standing under a clear blue sky, and surrounded by green grass and beautiful flowers. The figure pulled down the hood.

"Oh my… Grandpa? What… What are you doing in my mind? What am _I_ doing in my mind?! I thought I was…"

"Going to die? Very possible, _Ayalein_. I came to prevent that."

"That suit… That magic… Those eyes… Oh my… Grandpa, were you… All this time…?"

"Not quite, Aya. My godliness was locked down, thanks to this ring," he showed her his hand with the translucent ring on it. "Furthermore, I had no recollection of my godliness, nor the past life I've lived with it."

"Ah, I see… Sooooo… What will you do now?" Aya asked. "Will you just… poof away that baddie?"

"I know what you desire, Aya. You want to fight on your own terms, and using your own power. You know how I defeated Xadea?"

Aya furled her brows and said, "You probably unlocked your godhood for a moment, right?"

"Exactly, Sweetie," Toshiro smiled. "If I haven't did that, I would have died."

"Now that you're an Elder God, tell me one thing – why can't I use the Celestial Aura?"

"Since my power was locked away, it could only trickle through me bit by bit. And frankly, we're too far away for it to work."

"How far away exactly?" she asked.

"About fifty parsecs."

"Daaaaaaaamn… That really is far… So, how will you help me exactly, Grandpa?"

"I'll power you up, that's all. Well, I'll give you knowledge about a few flashy techniques, but that's it. You do what you think is necessary to Xadeus. Unless you ask me directly, I won't intervene beyond that."

"How much of a power up exactly?"

"Full mastery of Celestial Order without any stupid cons, unrestricted usage of the Celestial Aura, and if you want, unlimited Awakening of Hikarimaru, thanks to temporarily possessing an immortal body. Without that, you would die in battle, as Xadeus is a league higher than you."

"Isn't that a bit of an overkill anyway?"

"I wanted to give you as much power as your mortal body could hold, but…"

"No, Grandpa. That's enough, thank you," Aya smiled. "Tell me the numbers."

"You'll be stronger than Xadeus, but only after your body adjusts to the sudden power surge. This will be a very interesting fight."

Aya hugged Toshiro and said, "Thank you, Grandpa… That's all I could ask for…"

"Someone has to kill Xadeus, and if it would be me, it would be cheating," he giggled.

"Will you remain an Elder God from now on?"

"I'll consult the Primordial Goddess about that."

"I see… You probably will have to wipe my memories of this, huh?"

"You decide."

"Wipe them; you're awesome as a mortal, Grandpa," she grinned.

"My little Sweetheart…" he patted her on the head.

"I'll make Xadeus pay for what the Neuroi have done to humanity…" she said coldly.

Toshiro sighed and said, "You're missing one point though, Aya…"

"And that would be?"

"I created the Neuroi."

"Oh…" she replied baffled. "Ah, but you were Adam back then, not my Grandpa Toshiro," she grinned. "You can't blame yourself for the decisions of your past godly self, can you?"

"Probably not," he shrugged. "Okay Sugar Puff - go and kick ass! Convene my will as the Goddess of Order!"

"Roger!" Aya cheered.

/-/

Her vision distorted, and she found herself back in the peril of imminent death.

 _"_ _Ouch, it stings… But… I can feel the power already… Oh yes, it's magnificent… Prepare yourself for a surprise, Xadeus!"_

The time flow resumed, and in a split second, Aya flared up with an enormously powerful Celestial Aura, wearing a scarf similar to Toshiro's. She held her hand before her throat, and the blade simply crumbled as it impacted against her palm.

"What…" Xadeus wondered.

Aya calmly grabbed the left arm of the enemy, and pulled out the blade out of her shoulder.

"Do you surrender?" she asked coldly.

The shock wore out quickly and Xadeus flew back several meters.

"Never!" he shouted and his colors inverted themselves.

Aya could hear the shrieks of the Neuroi above her as they also started changing colors.

 _"_ _So that's how you want to do this… Let's see… Two hundred fifty thousand nine hundred forty eight enemies… All spread rather evenly, only Xadeus being a real threat… This power is useful… Grandpa, you'll be proud of this one!"_

Aya disappeared and reappeared near one of the HD-6 class Neuroi. Her fist started emitting both black and white rays of intense light.

"Galaxiezerleger! _" s_ he shouted and smacked the closest Neuroi.

It disintegrated into nothingness, but that started a chain reaction that started spreading like wildfire, and after seven seconds, there were no more Neuroi left except Xadeus.

"Murderer!" he shouted. "You have killed all of my spawn!"

"Which would in turn kill innocent people," Aya rebuked coldly.

Xadeus rushed at her, but Aya saw his every move with great clarity. She parried his blow without skipping a beat, but the foe was unrelenting with his attacks, slicing and dicing from all directions.

"This is fun," Aya smiled as she was parrying the blow with her bare hands. "But this is not how a Neuroi fights," Aya said. "You're an abomination of your own kind."

"Then I shall show you how my kind fights!" he shouted and flew up high into the sky, amongst the enormous cloud of Neuroi remains.

He raised his arms into the air and a red ball of energy started forming above them, growing ever so bigger with each second. The red glow rivaled the sun with intensity, and the planet's surface was soon basked in it entirely.

"Crumble before my might, puny human!" Xadeus' voice thundered across the air

He lowered the kilometer wide ball and it momentarily halved itself in diameter, and transformed into a monumental beam of crimson energy. Aya only raised Hikarimaru over her head and zipped straight towards the beam.

"Stupid human! I have destroyed a whole moon with that attack once! You shall not prevail!"

"Do not underestimate a witch!" Aya yelled as she powered on through the beam, actively splitting it in half and redirecting the resulting beams to the sides.

"You leave me with no choice," Xadeus said calmly, and his body started glowing intensely red.

The crystalline structures on the planet also started glowing red, and all of them simultaneously shot beams towards Xadeus. In a blink of an eye, the beam widened by a tenfold, and Aya was pushed back for a second.

"This is the power of my race!" Xadeus cackled.

 ** _"_** ** _He's sure putting on some air, huh, Kari?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Indeed, Mistress. Will you kill him instantly now?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _No, instant death is not enough for that demon."_**

Aya concentrated her power and started pushing upwards with a wild roar. Concealed by the beam itself, she flew right up to Xadeus, and stuck Hikarimaru straight into his chest, barely grazing the core. The beam stopped immediately, and he said, "What… How could I fail…?"

"You were always pitted against weaker opponents, even if you had to fight on your own. Now you have been given something too big to bite. And just to make sure you won't run off to easy, I'll give you a sample of what your minions caused."

Aya pulled out the sword, and cut of his arms, his legs, and his body under the core.

"This is the end for you, abomination. The Neuroi terror ends right here."

"I admit my defeat," he said calmly. "Just as my poor beloved, I am no match for your blood."

"Do you have any last words?"

"I actually have a lot of them. Will I be given the opportunity to speak them?"

Aya looked into the distance at the small parachute with the warhead under it, and said, "Be quick."

"First of all, I want you to receive this…" he said, and a small crystal floated out of his chest. "Take it."

"What is it?"

"This contains my memories, and those of Xadea, spanning hundreds of millions of years. I don't know if your human body will be able to retrieve them, but it's too late anyway… The second thing I want to do is ask a question – how will you feel committing xenocide?"

"How will I feel? And how did you feel, destroying civilization after civilization?"

"We, the ones you call the Neuroi, are emotionless beings beyond me and my deceased beloved. Our minions did our bidding, and we did it, because the minerals on alien planets were needed for our race to survive. It was a simple matter of survival."

"I see… How do I feel…? Before I came here, I only felt deep hatred towards your race. Immense hatred, because my cousin died partially because of your invasion, because all those innocent people in Europe died or became expatriates. I volunteered for the mission just to exact my revenge, just as you wanted to avenge your beloved. But I learned something a few minutes ago. I have learned that of all people in this universe, I'm the second most suitable person to get rid of you. I learned that my grandfather, the creator of this universe, also created your race. And now, everything will remain in the family… In the name of Adam, I hereby deem your race unfit for coexistence with others in this universe!"

Aya raised her sword, pumping and enormous amount of magic into it. An enormous beam of light shot out of it, piercing the atmosphere of the planet. Her scarf turned into enormous wings, and fluttered twice.

"Your final words, Xadeus?"

"Tell your people that I fought till the end," he said weakly. "It was an honor to fight you and die by your hand…"

"I don't take any pleasure in killing you, Xadeus. Justice doesn't have to be pleasant… And I will tell everyone what happened here, you have my word."

Aya grabbed the sword with two hands, and the enormous beam receded into the sword, making it glow with the fury of a thousand suns. She flew above Xadeus and swung Hikarimaru downwards with two hands. The beam cut first through the remainder of Xadeus, and then straight the surface of the planet.

She looked at the destruction she caused with her attack. A half-kilometer wide gap cut through the whole planet, expanding along its length with the speed of sound. Flakes, just like from the Neuroi, started appearing.

"I did it. But…"

At the drop of a hat, all strength has left her.

"How do…"

Her vision started blurring, and she let go of Hikarimaru. She started falling head first from the sky. She didn't see the stunning view of the beautiful sunrise lighting up the flakes shooting up into the sky from the damaged planet. She was falling slowly, with her clothes fluttering in the wind.

And just then, the warhead finally detonated.

An enormous blue orb instantaneously expanded itself, and it touched the yet undamaged parts of the planet. The ground then turned blue and started crumbling in a vein like pattern. A secondary property of the explosion was also atmospheric conflagration, so the oxygen around started burning up, and the firestorm quickly crept towards Aya.

But she didn't see it.

 **Chapter title - word for word it means what it says at the top of the chapter, however the translation is "trial by ordeal". Which also fits.**

 **Space Dandy reference ahoy!**

 **Galaxiezerleger (lit. Galaxy Dismantler) - a god tier version of the Atomzerleger, capable of chain-anihilating volumes of enemies in the blink of an eyes.**


	59. Chapter 59 – Slava pobieditielom

Chapter 59 – Slava pobieditielom

* * *

 **Chapter title: Glory to the victorious**

"We'll take care of her, don't worry," Toshiro said. "You two get some well-deserved rest.

"Thank you, Dad," Akiko smiled. "Come on, Sweetheart."

"Yeah, I have to get a cup of coffee…" Janusz mumbled and they both exited the room.

Toshiro looked at his side and saw Kye with a mysterious smile plastered to her face.

"What?" he asked.

"So, when will you finally _step down_?"

"Today will be a good day; Aya will finally wake up after a week," Toshiro said and made a pocket dimension around them. "This week was… fruitful."

"I know you visited _her_ , care to relay some info?"

"Oh, you'd like to know, huh? You know most of it anyway, but yeaaaah… She told me about many things. Currently, which is rather detrimental to my morale, my power is the weakest of all Elder Gods. I'm still qualified to be in your ranks, but I'm really weak compared to everyone, and to my full potential. So weak, that anybody of my _kin_ could directly influence me with their powers, but still leagues stronger than _normal_ gods."

"And why are you smirking so triumphantly, Adamshiro?" Kye snickered.

"This ring is quite a multitool, and a true blessing. The basic function of it is control over my godhood. I can just switch it on and off at will, as opposed to you guys, who can conceal their power, but are still _omniversatile_. However, the second and best feature of it is essentially newbie protection. I can't be influenced by anybody short of _her_ , as long as I'm using my Elder God powers."

"You sure won a nice prize on the lottery, Adamshiro, that's for sure. But I do hope you won't use that advantage for mischievous purposes, right?"

"I have some things I want to do before I turn back into a mortal again. But I did do some… things already."

"Let's count…" Kye started sticking out her fingers. "You found enough grime on the KGB for them to cease existing, so they won't pursue Kola, Tanya, Ellie, and Katie. You cured Giselles inability to walk and slightly lessened her autism. You went on lollygagging, creating some universe. You created almost endless deposits of a mineral that will revolutionize flight technology soon here on Earth. And you erased every trace of knowledge how to make another _Elysium_ bomb, and wormholes until the time is right."

"Yes, indeed, you've listed all of it." Toshiro smirked. "Damn, that _Elysium_ bomb was something. A worldwide _Zerleger_ plus atmospheric conflagration… Wow… If that accidentally detonated here, Earth would go poof in three minutes."

"I suppose that's something that had to be done, just like the erasing of Mortal Imprisonment from the memories of everyone below the rank of Elder God by me. Some things are just too evil to exist…"

"Since you've touched the topic of things that are too evil to exist…" Toshiro mused and waved his hand.

Two figures appeared before them, polygonal and rough in shape, colored black with red hexagonal patterns.

"What… What is this?" one with a crown hovering over its head said in a female voice.

"Xadea?" the other one asked. "Xadea, is that you? You're alive?"

"Xadeus? Where are we? How can you meet me like this? I was vanquished…"

"Ahem…" Toshiro cleared his throat.

Both of them looked at Toshiro in a split second.

"Yoooouuuu…" Xadea said bitterly. "What do you want from us? Why do you torture us? And why is my betrothed by my side?"

"Newsflash, Xadea – your _hubby_ is dead," Kye said. "Toshiro, or Adam if you prefer, brought you here for something I probably already know."

"Who are you?" Xadea asked. "I know he is some kind of god, but…"

"I'm from his sort," Kye replied sparsely.

"I see. So Xadeus is dead, and I'm dead… Our planet is probably destroyed, and our whole race wiped out, correct?"

"Yes," Toshiro answered.

"Who?" she asked.

"Her," Toshiro pointed out to a space before him where an image of a girl with long black hair, lying unconsciously in a hospital bed, appeared in the air. "My granddaughter, Aya."

"Is she a god too?" Xadeus asked. "She exhibited such strength…"

"No, but she is my champion, and since I have awakened, she could fully use the power of Celestial Order herself."

"She said something to me before she annihilated me. She said that you have created our race. Is that true?" Xadeus asked.

"Yes, that's true. Back then I didn't care what would become of the universe I have created with as my swan song, I only laid out the ground principles governing your very existence. And that was my mistake, which I corrected, first by my own hands, and then through my granddaughter."

"Why did you summon us then… father?" Xadea asked uncertain.

"Adam giveth, Adam taketh…" Kye mused.

"…and Adam be piseth ofeth," he muttered. "I want to offer you two something, namely a chance to start a new life."

"A new life?" Xadeus asked. "What does that mean?"

"I can give you lives of normal people, either in one of my universes or…" he looked at Kye.

"You know, that's an intriguing idea," Kye smiled. "I agree."

"Or in some place Kye chooses to put you in. You would lead a normal life, both as a reward, and as atonement."

"We don't know what to think of this…" Xadea said. "What do you say?" she looked at Xadeus.

"I cannot imagine something like that."

"Then I will give you a _trial_ version," Toshiro said and snapped his fingers. "Look at each other you two."

Xadeus and Xadea looked at each other in sync, and they gasped.

"What is this…?" Xadea said and slowly moved her hand towards her partner. "A human body… Is this you, my love?"

"This is unbelievable…" Xadeus said in awe and grabbed Xadea's hand. "I can feel your warmth… You… You're so soft…"

Tears slowly dropped down Xadea's cheeks. Xadeus took one of the tears on his finger and asked, "What is this? I've seen this many times but I don't know what it is…"

"Those are tears, Xadeus," Toshiro explained. "There are tears shed of sorrow, pain, anger… But those tears are the tears of joy, the best tears of them all. Do you understand now, what gift I want to bestow upon you two?"

Xadea looked at her now human beloved and said, "We understand. I cannot find the words to express my gratitude right now."

"I think your resident transhuman Neuroi expert will have something to do, huh, Kye?" Toshiro giggled.

"Oh indeeeeeed…" she giggled too.

"Goodbye, you two," Toshiro said. "Maybe we'll see each other again on Earth."

"Wouldn't we be shunned?" Xadeus asked.

"Oh don't worry, the Neuroi I know will whip you into shape, and besides, I'll introduce you to only a handful of people."

"So be it, Father," Xadeus said and bowed.

"Fare well, Father," Xadea added and bowed too.

"I think they are ready, Kye."

"So long then. Be sure to introduce yourselves in detail, and tell the ones you meet that Kye and Toshiro sent you," Kye said to them and the two disappeared. "Now that was nice of you, Adamshiro."

"Well now I'll be a little less nice…"

"What do you plan to do?" Kye raised an eyebrow.

"I have a bone to pick with a certain Elizabeth," Toshiro said morbidly.

"Toshiro, I remind you that she is under protection of at least _three_ Elder Gods. If you'll try something at least harmful to her, I _will_ intervene," Kye said adamantly.

"Just watch from the sidelines from now, okay?" Toshiro asked.

"I have my eye on you, Bub," she pointed first at her eyes and then at him and vanished.

Toshiro smirked, and Elizabeth appeared before him, wearing casual clothes.

"What the…"

"Well hello there, _Liz_ ," Toshiro snickered. "Long time no see."

She glanced at him from top to bottom and said, "Weird eyes – check. Weird clothes – check. Weird situation – check. Insurmountable power level – present. Tell me, is this a prank you've set up with somebody, or are you the real deal?"

"I'm an Elder God now, Elizabeth, as I always was. I know that Kye didn't tell you, since we've shared memories."

"I see. Why did you summon me then? Do you still hold a grudge against me for what happened in the simulation?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Kind of…"

"You should be above that, Toshiro. But I guess I've hurt your male pride by stopping your advances towards the girls when I was around."

"That was just horseplay, Elizabeth, and you perfectly well knew that without their consent, I wouldn't even touch their bare shoulders," Toshiro explained calmly.

"I have my principles, as you must have read in my mind already. I suppose you want an apology then?"

"That would be nice."

"And you won't bug me further?"

"Well, you could come and visit; I lifted the ban for visiting my world."

"I'll consider that. But first, you apologize to me."

"That thing about getting laid? That's even pettier than me…"

"I can settle for both of us apologizing at the same time for anything that happened between us," she smirked.

"I wonder what you would say knowing that nobody would intervene if I decided to go all out on you?"

"I know you won't do that, because based on what I saw in your life, you're the good guy, and hurting a woman is too much for you."

"I'd gladly stick my boot so far up your ass that I could tie my shoelaces through your mouth," he shrugged.

"Ha!" she laughed briefly. "That's something Michelle would probably want to see!"

"Yeah, heh…" he smirked and put his hand forward. "Bygones and whatnots."

Elizabeth came closer, shook it, and at the same time they said, "I'm sorry."

"And there we go," she smiled slightly.

"Are we good now?" Toshiro asked.

"I suppose so," she shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, but I don't want to hang out here anymore…"

"Well yeah, I kind of interrupted you. See you later, Liz."

"I'll bring my belt with me just in case," she winked.

"I'll be sure to do the same!" Toshiro laughed and sent her off.

Kye appeared at his side and said, "That went surprisingly smooth and without anyone having to intervene… And I'm surprised you didn't just talk her down into the ground."

"I have a bit of mortal life ahead of me; I don't want to look around my back every day to see her standing there with a belt."

"Heehee… Yes, you definitely played it safe."

"While I'm in an apologetic mood, let's set something straight, Kye," Toshiro said warmly. "I want to apologize to you about the last few days. My behavior was unacceptable and…"

Kye placed her hand on his mouth and said, "I understand, Adamshiro. Your personality combined with my rather eccentric way of handling the situation led to you behaving like you've behaved. It makes me happy that you are apologizing to me from your own free will, but I'll say it first – I'm sorry, Toshiro. I'm sorry for handling everything the way I handled it. I could have done it in ways far more comfortable for you, but I didn't. However, I think there's somebody more in need of an apology than the silly me."

"I know," he said clearly, despite Kye's hand covering his mouth. "That person was the next on my agenda of things to do before I indefinitely mortalize myself."

"Ah, sorry then, carry on," she giggled and took her hand.

"Livy, come," Toshiro said clearly.

She appeared before him and asked, "Yes, Master?"

Quickly he hugged her tightly, and said, "Livy, can you forgive me everything that I've done to you in my past life? All the disrespectful words, the lack of attention… and… that one incident… And all the time you were alone because I was a too self-centered asshole…."

Livy liberated herself from his embrace and said, "Master, the Primordial Goddess has bound us in a rather tragic pair. You, who wasn't given the understanding of love, and me, one who had unrelenting and unconditional love to you. I knew you how you were since the first days, and yet, I tried to change you. But who knew that a simple mortal would change you so greatly..." she slowly started tearing up. "Yes, Master, I forgive you, unconditionally, but not because of the way I was created, but because I truly love you from the bottom of my heart."

Now she embraced him, and rested her head on his chest.

"It pains me that I have to leave you for another three decades…"

"Three decades are nothing, Master…" she said quietly. "And I'm always by your side, don't forget that. We can always meet and talk to each other."

"Right… But now I have a problem what to do with Yoshika…" he sighed.

"We will find out a solution for this, Master. As long as you're the mortal Toshiro von Edelweiss, Mistress Yoshika takes precedence before me."

"Mhmmm… But now pardon me; I have to do something else."

"What is it?" Kye and Livy asked at the same time.

"There's another person who I would like to bestow with a unique gift," he smirked, and waved his hand.

A black haired beauty in a short yukata, revealing her shaped legs, appeared before them.

"Toshiko?" Kye asked. "What about her?"

"Yeah, what about me?" she asked. "Whoa! You're an Elder God, Toshiro?!"

"That sort of came by itself," he said nonchalantly. "Toshiko, I want you to ask you a very important question."

"Fire away, godly me," she snickered.

"Would you like to live an independent life?"

"Eeeeeerrr…" she slowly opened her mouth. "You mean… Like Toshiro Deuce?"

"No, even better. I would make you an immortal, and send you somewhere where there are other immortals. Somebody so intelligent and beautiful like you would immediately find a suitable partner, and you could live a happy life."

"I… I really don't know what to say… I… Kye, is he talking about one of your places?"

"Are you, Toshiro?" Kye asked with curiosity.

"Yeah, I am. Many of our common friends know Toshiko already, so she would fit in nicely. What do you say?"

"If she agrees, I can take her in, why not," Kye smiled.

Toshiro looked at Toshiko, who was now a mess of tears and snot standing before them.

"Holy shit, Toshiko… Come on, don't cry… You're happy, right?"

"D-D-Dats begause I'm habby!" she cried.

Kye conjured up a tissue and gave it to Toshiko. She blew her nose, and said, "I'm so happy you two… Seriously… This… This is something so unique… I… I should get going, or I'll make an idiot of myself…"

"Have fun in your new life, Toshiko. And remember to lift!"

"Of course!" Toshiko laughed while flexing her biceps and she disappeared.

"You surprise me all the time, Toshiro. Is there anything else you wanted to do?"

"I think that's all of the urgent matters I wanted to take care of."

"Then now I have to turn your attention to one… issue."

"Hmm?"

"You see, Toshiro… What about a gift for Aya?"

"What about her? She will be another hero, just like I am. Isn't that enough?"

"Look into her heart. You know _what_ she wants."

"I know, Kye. But tell me – why are you imposing that on me? You haven't given me such a present, although you could. True, in my case, it was somewhat different, of lesser caliber so to say, but still."

"Because you were coping with it better. You filled that hole in your heart with Yoshika and the others, but Aya didn't manage to find a suitable _patch_. If you do this, her emotional issues will be completely gone."

"I suppose you're right…" he sighed. "Again, much to my misery… Done. Now, back to my mortal life. But before that, you know what needs to be done, right?"

"Hmmm?"

"I'll make Aya my fully fledged, although dormant champion. She'll be able to use the power of the Celestial Order, and have all the passive _buffs_ that it entitles."

"You're probably thinking there could occur something that even I can't predict, right?"

"Indeed."

"Have it your way, Toshiro. It won't hurt her, that's for sure."

"I just hope Mavet won't pay us a visit, hahaha!" Toshiro laughed but soon he made a serious face. "I just realized something, Kye. And it's very fortunate you're here right now."

"I wanted to propose that one day, but the sooner the better I assume," she said emotionlessly. "Joey, come."

The smaller copy of Kye appeared and said, "I will protect all of you if it comes to it."

"I do hope nothing happens that will need your intervention," Toshiro said. "Now, let's send out that invitation."

Toshiro pinged Mavet, and it only took a split second for him to appear before them.

"So you finally got the opportunity to unleash your godly powers, Adam," he said coldly. "What possible reason do you have to call me to this remote dimension?"

"I'm ready," Toshiro replied.

Mavet raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you referring to our previous conversation?"

"Yes."

"Then go ahead," Mavet waved his hand. "I'm listening."

"During the past week, I have looked back at our time spent together, and I came to some conclusions. Supported by my mortal experiences, I can say that our friendship was true and deep, something one of a kind. Even our partners, although they focused more on their masters, had a grand time. But yes, then I decided that this was simply too boring a life. Creating new universes, governing them, interactions with other Elder Gods and our creator. I was probably the first case of depression amongst our kind. I found no joy in life. Livy started irritating me. So I decided to erase myself from existence. And by some weird stroke of luck, Kye visited me. Since I was decided to do it anyway, I told her about my plans. She tried to talk me out of it, but that didn't work, did it?"

"You were as stubborn as you are now, Adamshiro," Kye smiled with a wink.

"But she did succeed somewhat in the end. She proposed that I shouldn't outright die, but instead hide in a very weak form in a universe I would create upon my death, so I could rethink things. Out of her own will, she swore that she would protect it and me at the same time, until the time was right for me to be reborn."

"You could have told me about your problems, you idiot!" Mavet shouted. "You're a quitter, nothing else!"

"It was impossible for me to do that at the time, Mavet. Trust me that back then, I would rather die than seek help," Toshiro sighed. "But I changed. My mortal life has enriched my very being to a level I have not experience before. How about you? Have you ever led a mortal life?"

"Never," he answered bitterly. "I waited for you all the time, and after Phantom raided our masterpiece universe, I couldn't care less. And what could I possibly gain from living a mortal life?"

"Kye, Jouten, and I have experienced it, and we all gained something. I won't speak for them, but I gained the ability to love and understand both other people and myself much better. There is surely something you and your partner could gain from even a brief mortal life."

"Aside that, tell me something, Adam – would you do it again?"

"Do what again, Mavet?" Toshiro tilted his head. "Die again?"

"No. Create another universe with me, even more beautiful than the first one."

"I think… Yes, if only my current state allows me…"

"Then I'll tell you something – I will reincarnate as a mortal somewhere where the Primordial Goddess sends me. If you're not lying, I should come out of this enriched. I'll take my partner with me on that _voyage_. After I return, we _will_ create that universe, no matter what. You hear me?"

"I'll rake my brain on how it should look like until then," Toshiro smiled. "Take care, my friend."

"You two, my friend," Mavet smiled roguishly and disappeared.

"And I was prepared for a battle…" Kye muttered. "You handled that rather well, Adamshiro. But I have a gloom feeling that something will go terribly wrong in the future…"

"You're not the only one…" Toshiro mumbled. "I felt a sting of pain once Mavet disappeared…"

"We will have to wait until whatever happens - happens."

"Indeed. I think I should go back to my mortal body already."

"Just in time," Kye smirked.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"The world-saving score is even now, with Aya having a count too," Toshiro grinned.

"I knew you wouldn't let go," Kye chuckled.

* * *

Toshiro closed his eyes, and he found himself back in the hospital room, with Kye on his right side, and Aya slowly opening her eyes on the hospital bed before him.

"Grandpa… Alissa… Owww…" she moaned in pain, her voice barely audible.

"Hello, Sweetie," Alissa said.

"Ugh… Where am I?"

"You're in a hospital in Berlin now," Toshiro said. "In a VIP room, I might add."

"And when is _now_ exactly?"

"The fifth of February," Alissa said. "You had a nice nap."

"Heh… No wonder… I seem to have used a power I shouldn't have used…" she sighed.

"What exactly happened there though?" Toshiro asked.

"The Allgod probably helped me, there's no other explanation… The power I wielded was something I haven't used even in the simulation… I destroyed uh… what was it again? Two hundred fifty thousand nine hundred forty eight enemies in one blow…"

"Hoooly fuck… Well, there goes my kill count record…" he muttered.

"Heh… Well, sorry Grandpa," she smiled. "But uh… I wonder how I got back to Earth?" she looked at Alissa. "Was it you, Alissa?"

 ** _"_** ** _How do we handle this?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _You can tell her that it was the Allgod, or you can give credit to me."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Damn mortal brain… Hmmmm… I'll have it my way, pardon. I'm sick and tired of your influence in this world, so just tell the truth."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Have at it…"_**

"Well, the Allgod himself helped you," Alissa mused. "But don't tell anybody, it's a secret," she winked. "I made everyone think a wormhole opened itself and you fell out of it."

"Thank you…" Aya smiled. "And Grandpa, you have to find a way to thank the Allgod, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Toshiro laughed. "By the way, Aya, I have a question about those items found in your pockets."

"Oh, that… Uh…"

"Shinobu already told me about Laika. The tag is already in a museum in Moscow, and it made a little sensation. But what about that crystal?"

"It supposedly contains the knowledge of the Neuroi, at least that's what Xadeus said…"

"About that..." Toshiro interrupted. "Anything worth talking about?"

"When I was about to kill him, he asked me how it is to kill a whole race?"

"And how do you feel about it?" Toshiro asked.

" _Fiat justitia ruat caelum…_ Let justice be done though the heavens fall… I had to do this, Grandpa… I was in a situation that needed it, and if I let him live, he would just rebuild his army, and possibly attack Earth again, or some other planet with sapient life forms… If I'm branded a murderer because of that, so be it, but I protected those I love…"

"Not on this round Earth you won't be, that's sure," Toshiro said. "There are already preparations for…"

The door to the room opened suddenly, and a blonde girl in a hospital gown ran up to Aya, and fell at her side, hugging her deeply.

"Aya! Aya! I woke up! I finally woke up!" the girl shouted. "You have to tell me about EVERYTHING!"

"Woah, woah! Who…" Aya pushed her back, so she could see her face. "No… How can this… How…"

 ** _"_** ** _A present for doing well, Aya."_**

 ** _"_** ** _But Alissa… Why… I thought that the gods shouldn't interfere…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Shoulda, woulda, fuck it. You know that deep down you missed her, right? She didn't deserve to die such a pointless death, which caused you such a trauma."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Y-Yes… But…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Her backstory now is that the railgun didn't blow her head off, but it put her in a coma instead, lasting up until today. Thanks to constant care, she was able to stand up so quickly. Everyone else in this world sans Toshiro and you know what really happened, and I won't mess with your memory, since Toshiro would probably hate me till Kingdom Come, heh…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Alissa… I'm… I'm so happy… Thank you… Thank you! Thank you!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Don't thank me, Aya… Thank the Allgod."_**

 ** _"_** ** _He's absent all this years, and suddenly I'm showered with such attention… Oh my…"_**

"Simone… I'm glad you're okay…" Aya hugged her. "Thank God…"

"My dear heroic cousin… I've heard all about it! And… And you seem a bit different…"

"Where should I start?" Aya pondered and started telling her story.

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	60. Chapter 60 – Pust' vsegda budet solntse

Chapter 60 – Pust' vsegda budet solntse

 **Full chapter title: "Pust' vsegda budet solntse pod vechno mirnym nebom" – May there always be sunshine under the eternally peaceful skies**

Years passed since the day the world got rid of the Neuroi threat for the last time. The girls from the 777th have since then regained the normal lives of young girls of their age.

* * *

General Jaruzelski, the man effectively running the Peoples Republic of Lehistan, became the first president of the country, only to be succeeded by a certain shipyard worker with a moustache. He died May 25, 2014 in the event of a stroke.

* * *

Colonel Eleanor Horbaczewski was discharged from the army with full honors, and besides her promotion, earning the title and award of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Thanks to the behind the scenes actions of Toshiro, she, as her friends too, was debriefed from the KGB and let free unconditionally. Her fame has helped her with the bureaucracy of the adoption process, and only a month after leaving the KGB, she now had a daughter, Tatiana Horbaczewski. As she said to Toshiro and Aya, she first brought up the little Orussian to spec with her social skills and school life in the slowly rebuilding Lehistan. After Tatiana finished middle school, Ellie decided to take up college with great success. The skills she learned there helped her in writing a series of political fiction novels, making her name known around the world, diverting her from teaching other people. She married her editor, who was only two years older than she was, and they had two children – Grażyna and Gromosław. Their big sister Tatiana was melting like butter around the two, always playing with them, and taking care of everything around them as she visited Ellie.

* * *

Lt. Col. Katherine Kowalski was also honorably discharged from the army, also receiving the title and award of the Hero of the Soviet Union. She settled down with Ellie and Tatiana in Warsaw for a bit, helping in the efforts to rebuild the city, taking supplementary high school classes at the same time. Quickly she found a separate place to live in, and a consort followed fast, a man she met on the first year of college. Despite an accidental pregnancy, Katie finished college without a hitch, and started teaching in Poznań. Her little Franciszka was growing up fast, which made her immensely happy.

* * *

Captain Tatiana Aleksandrovna Bulhakova, or later Tatiana Horbaczewski, after being discharged from the army found herself in one apartment with Ellie and Katie in Warsaw. Her new mother showered her with affection, and her _aunt_ Katie spoiled her immensely. She started going to a school with a music specialization, and made herself visible from day one, as she sang better than the teachers themselves, and playing the piano so that Chopin would be proud. Since she was in a new country, she earnestly learned Lehish, exceling in that matter too, although a slight eastern accent prevailed, adding some variety to her speech. Tatiana didn't go to college, because Minna offered her further private education alongside her granddaughter Angela. Shortly after her twentieth birthday, a representative of the Moscow State Opera contacted her, and after consulting this with Ellie, she accepted the offer, soon becoming a world-renowned diva. Her love life also went aflutter, as a singer approached her, and the two became the hottest item in Orussia. Tatiana bore grey haired twins – Natasha and Lyudmila.

* * *

First Lieutenant Marie Bonaparte-Champignon returned to her home to witness a true miracle. Although still influenced by her mental disease, Giselle opened the door to greet her on her own two legs. Marie decided to finish her compulsory education, and right after that, she contacted Toshiro. Instead of taking money to pay somebody to care of Giselle why Marie was away, she decided to take money to start a charity for people in the same situation as her sister. With some _grease_ applied here and there, the charity had grown remarkably, and Marie could live off the miniscule pay of the head of the charity. One of the voluntary workers turned out to be Marie's future husband, and the father of a certain little Pierre.

* * *

First Lieutenant Elizabeth Moore returned to her family in Warwickshire quickly after being released from the army. She resumed her education, and despite her previous statement about becoming a housewife, Fate had something better in store for her. After seeing a live performance of the Monty Python group, she discovered a talent for comedy in her. She soon became a self-made entrepreneur, not afraid of cursing on stage, bringing laughter to both children and adults alike. When not on stage, she found respite in the arms of a corporate CEO that she married at the age of twenty-two, and looking over her dear children - Laura and Ken.

* * *

Captain Shinobu Sakamoto immediately dropped out of the army after she returned to Fuso. She quickly became the president of the kendo club in her school; gaining fame with each tournament she won participated in. Thanks to Sieglinde's workout program, she leaned out, and gained strength, not losing her feminine charm in least. That helped her in both her quest to be the very best in kendo, and partially in to find a life partner. The latter came very fast, as she married the president of the karate club just after her high school graduation ceremony, during which she was already two months pregnant. After bringing the little Mirai into the world, Shinobu worked twice as hard to fulfill her dream. On the 14th day of February 2009, after receiving a written exemption from the All Fuso Kendo Federation, she wrote an exam to achieve the eight dan. After writing it, she waited eagerly for the results in the corridor. The assistant to the committee walked opened the door and said, "Sakamoto Shinobu-san, please enter."

She went inside on wobbly legs, and after standing before the committee,

"Sakamoto Shinobu-san, _renshi shichi-dan_ of the fine art of kendo, the greatest prodigy this country has seen since hundred years," the leader of the committee said. "Taking the exam for the _hachi-dan_ three years earlier than normally permitted. It is my…"

A meow, coming from Shinobu's pocket, interrupted the man's speech. All three of them were surprised, but Shinobu ignored them completely and dug out her cellphone from her pocket. Before she flipped it open, she saw a notification light blinking, noting an unread e-mail.

She quickly opened the message, and tears streamed down her face involuntarily.

"What's the matter, Sakamoto-san?" one of the committee members asked.

She turned her phone to them, letting them witness the content of the e-mail.

 _ **FROM:** Mirai Sakamoto_

 _ **TO:** Shinobu Sakamoto_

 _ **SUBJECT:** The little Hitagi_

The body of the e-mail was a picture of a young Fusojin woman, covered with sweat, holding an infant on her hands while making a peace sign and smiling vividly.

"I've become a grandmother…" Shinobu said through tears. "On Valentine's Day…"

"Then this is truly a lucky day for you, Sakamoto-san," the leader said with a smile. "The results of your exam are as your whole career – perfect. As the head of the examination committee, I bestow you with the title of _renshi hachi-dan._ "

"Thank you!" Shinobu shouted and bowed so deeply she almost touched her knees with her forehead, "On this day, I promise that I _will_ obtain the rank of _kyōshi hachi-dan_."

"Take care of your granddaughter, Sakamoto-san," the third of the men said warmly. "She may be your future successor."

"Hai!" Shinobu cheered.

And eight years later, on the same day, Shinobu undertook the exam to let her obtain the highest kendo rank of the All Fuso Kendo Federation. And yet again, her phone meowed.

The leader of the committee was one of the assistants of the leader during her previous exam. He asked, "Sakamoto-san, another birth in your family?"

"I don't know…" she asked. "Excuse me, may I check my mail?"

"Of course you can, Sakamoto-san. There's always time for the president of the Aichi Prefecture Branch."

Shinobu took her Xperia Z6 out of her pocket, and double-clicked the notification on the lockscreen. An e-mail opened, and she smiled warmly.

"Ikaku-san, it seems my successor has been found," she turned the 5.7" screen towards the leader, showing a picture of the little Mirai in a kendoka outfit.

"Indeed it would be so," he smiled. "As not to drag this out – you passed, Sakamoto-san."

"Oh my…" Shinobu gasped. "I mean, thank you!"

From thereon, Shinobu backed down a bit with her active training, focusing instead on bringing up her granddaughter, and one day, she became the big boss of the FIK herself.

* * *

Second Lieutenant Nami Ranmaru also retired from the army like her compatriot. Following up on Toshiro's advice, in breaks between school, she sought a way to get into the fashion world. It was a one-time stroke of luck that a magazine called _CanCam_ was making a photo session in the municipal park. Nami managed to sneak through the security, and get up close behind the photographers back. His supervisor, who was the editor at time, quickly found her out. Since it was spring, Nami was wearing typical _sailor fuku_ , revealing her long slender legs. The editor, who was a woman, only asked her one thing – to take of her top. After moving to a concealed location, Nami revealed what she had under the shirt. The editor nodded and said, "You're hired," much to Nami's surprise and joy.

Months and a few years passed, as Nami was featured in the _CanCam_ and some other fashion magazines, garnering attention from the girls buying it. Her bodily qualities were top notch, and she often stared in morning TV, or game shows, where she even managed to win an episode of _Takeshi's Castle._ Once she even did a nude session for the spread of _Monthly Playboy_ , much to the discontent of her grandmother. As her body grew older, Nami didn't part with the fashion industry, and it gave her the excuse to slow down a bit, and find a man in her life. She succeeded rather quickly, and the result was a girl called Yuuna. After that, thanks to her innate curiosity, Nami took up photography courses, and became a professional fashion photograph. In 1995, she became the head editor of one of the magazines she starred in during her bountiful career.

* * *

First Lt. Aina Inga Brunhilda Freya Eila Ruukilainen-Haraldsdotir wasn't an exception when she returned home, since she retired from the army immediately. After many years of hard studying, she graduated from film school _magna cum laude_. Sticking to her dream, she directed a movie in which she wrote the script, the idea for which popped up during college, while at the same time seeking help at a specialist that Toshiro sent towards her, with great success. Named _The Blue Darkness_ , it was movie about a hydrophobic girl, containing many facts from her own life, including a scene that was the recreation of the traumatic experience at Lake Bodom.

Directing the movie had a therapeutic effect on the Suomi, which was unknown to her until her future husband, the operator in her movie, splashed her with ice cold water out of nowhere on the post-screening banquet. They took it slow at first, but even the hearts of the inhabitants of such a cold country warm up quickly. The two had only one child, which Aina named Eila, for obvious reasons. The little rug rat was a cause of consternation as Aina was invited to the Oscar gala in Liberion, but the girl had something to say in that matter as she broke down in fever. Both she and Aina stayed home in Suomus, and the man of the house went to Liberion. Aina watched the live transmission with bathed breath, and when the host read her name in the _Best Director_ category, she cheered from the top of her lungs, waking up the little Eila Astrid, and all the cats in the neighborhood.

* * *

First Lieutenant Elwyn Francine Clarke also didn't want anything to do with the army. She quickly finished her secondary education, while at the same time brushing up on the latest technological wonders in IT, gracefully supported by a cash stream and some tips from Toshiro. Once high school was behind her, she decided to seek a job at IBM. After looking at her CV, the interviewer said that she could only be a technician at the time. Elwyn took the job, but the curses that she was mulling in her head were of the foulest sort. After being acquainted with the job, she started showing the people around that she definitely deserves something better.

Word of that quickly traveled up in the hierarchy of the company, and Elwyn got what she wanted – a job in R&D. Although a bit overwhelmed at first, she earnestly started working her ass off, earning respect from her colleagues. One of them started courting her, and by a stroke of luck, they matched perfectly in their interests. The two quickly came down to business, and Elwyn went to the altar with a visibly rounded belly, in which the young Mark would still grow for the next two months. After her maternity leave, she returned to work with doubled effort, greatly contributing to the future projects, and finally becoming a member of the board of directors.

* * *

First Lieutenant Giulietta Pesci quickly broke apart with the army and taking up Sieglinde's offer, she started living with her. They had a whole room to themselves, so things were bound to happen, and they did happen. Gradually however, thanks to enlisting into a co-ed school with her roommate, she slowly started opening up towards boys. Armed with knowledge from every girl and woman she knew, and _the pill_ , she didn't oppose her prom date after the party. That experience flipped her sexuality upside down, and now the naked Sieglinde didn't even move her eyebrow. Good for the Karlslander however, was the fact that Giulietta now transferred to the University of Padova, and she studied law full time and economy during weekends, just because her parents could afford it, and she felt like proving something to herself.

On the second year, they got a transfer student, a shy boy from the south, Stefano. He intrigued Giulietta, and they started chatting casually. As their relationship grew tighter, Giulietta learned her dearest friend was from the _Cosa Nostra_ ; however, he was still _uninitiated_. She decided to act upon that, and she demanded a visit with his father. She did not care that his father was the _capofamiglia_ of a very powerful clan, because she knew that this was the man that she will spend the rest of her life with. Giulietta did not falter when confronted with her future father-in-law, and she impressed him with her resolute character, and her background. The two lovebirds were given free hand, and could marry without consequences, but Stefano would lose all rights to any money from his family. He didn't care at least, although at the moment, he didn't know how wealthy Giulietta was. They married shortly after graduation, and both started working in the bank of Giulietta's grandfather. Sometime later, the world was graced with the birth of Francesca, Domenica, Stefania, Angela, and Giuseppina.

* * *

First Lieutenant Elsa Feuerstein, despite her earlier statement, decided not to stay in the Wehrmacht as a heavy weapons instructor as she wanted. The sight of Aya lying in the hospital bed flipped the appropriate switch in her, and she instead turned to science. Her focus became nuclear physics, and her ultimate goal was building a nuclear reactor that could sustain a self-powered cold-fusion reaction. Once she finished college with an exemplary result, she applied to CERN, in which she found her haven. Her initial goal of a cold fusion reactor got watered down once she saw the raw potential of the facility and all the scientists working there.

One of the scientists there occurred to be "electron to her proton," as he himself said. Elsa captivated his heart with her carefree attitude when it was permitted and absolute serious work when it was needed. They both married, and had just one child, which they named Eli. Once it was possible for her to do so, she resumed her work. In the latter years, she worked on the greatest CERN projects, and finally in 2015 she returned to her original goal, which yielded results in 2017, as she was the first person to perform reproducible and efficient cold fusion, for which she received a Nobel Prize a year later.

* * *

Captain Sieglinde Bäcker also didn't take her sweet time to decide and swiftly retired from the army. During the rest of her secondary education, which she spent with Giulietta as a roommate, she trained ruthlessly to develop every possible muscle her body contained. She was a small sensation in her school, no less than the busty Mediterranean beauty living with her. There was only one person named Markus that could compete with her in both weightlifting and bodybuilding, and it sparked between them from the first PE lesson they had together. Literally sparked, because Markus accidentally pushed Sieglinde onto a defunct power outlet, briefly zapping both of them. Both of them first landed at the school nurse, and then at the principal, and since they were going through the school corridors unsupervised, they cursed at each other and each other's families five generations back. But after school, at the same day, Markus manned up and invited her for a _currywurst_. Sieglinde, proud that she won this battle, gladly accepted, and from then, their relationship went full speed ahead.

After giving birth to the little Berenike and Julius, Sieglinde tripled her efforts in bodybuilding, supported by her husband. Her natural breasts shrunk considerably because of the intense training, but modern plastic surgery helped her regain her volume. Both attended to various competitions, first local, then _Land-wide_ , after that some nationals and finally they hit the international level. They became a famous pair of bodybuilders, and opened a chain of fitness centers. Sieglinde managed to meet her idol, Arnold Schwarzenegger, when she was on a competition in California, and she even starred in a movie in a role fit for her – a luscious amazon.

* * *

Captain Angela Bauer didn't bat an eyelid towards propositions for her to stay in the army. She just wanted to regain her normal life, now that the world was safe from alien invaders. Just like she said, she started aiming to be the very best singer, and she focused on the opera, just like her grandmother, and a total opposite of the folk singer that her mother was. Schooled by her grandmother, and rivaling Tatiana, she quickly came into shape.

Slowly going up the rungs of her musical career, she attracted more and more people to her performances, to the point they were sold out weeks before. Every six months, she teamed up with Tatiana, and tickets for such a performance were sold out a year ahead. Her beautiful singing mesmerized a prince from a certain Arabic country to the point he abandoned Islam just to be with her. Angela liked him already, so that gesture of good will absolutely won her over, and soon they married and had a girl named Salama.

* * *

Lieutenant General Alissa Maya officially hung her military career on the proverbial nail, despite all the fame and money that was thrown at her for her to stay. Not long after retiring, Alissa left to travel the world, or at least that's what she wanted everyone to believe since she actually returned to her own multiverse, as per what she agreed on with Toshiro. She did promise to send postcards every so often, but was otherwise unreachable with only Aya, Kari, Toshiro, and Livy knowing how to contact her.

* * *

State Marshal Toshiro von Edelweiss decided to utilize the memories of Kye, and the fact that Livy would now serve him without a question, now that he knew about his and her past. He built his own top-notch flight suit similar to the SFS, woven out of a synthetic, nanomaterial Livy made for him after Toshiro pouted his ass off once Kye refused to supply him with Sky Silk, and broke every possible record in it. Aside of that, he constructed numerous devices in his lab, although all were kept under tight lock, since it was technology not meant for this time and age. Yoshika, as usual, forgave him all his _adventures_ with Toshiko, and promised that now that she's gone, she'll do her best so he wouldn't need his female clone anymore. He was tempted to use his godly powers to crank back the hands of time whenever serious tragedies occurred, but when presented with what would happen if he altered the past by Livy, in each and every case he decided against it.

* * *

Kola Savchenko, free to travel and live, got his surname changed quickly to Romanov. After the quick wedding with Aya, he was immediately taken under Toshiro's wings so he could properly finish education. College was a breeze for him, even if it was theoretical mathematics, quantum physics and Orussian history at the same time. At the same time, he was plotting his revenge against the slowly crumbling Soviet Union, but his plans were suddenly interrupted as Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, the successor to Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko as the General Secretary of the CPSU, invited him and his wife Aya to Moscow.

He departed in with a fighting spirit, but he stumbled right into an official ceremony, during which Gorbachev officially apologized on behalf of the State for what happened to his ancestors. He offered all the estates robbed from them, but Kola surprised even himself when he declined the offer, saying that the fact that what happened was recognized, and that he would be officially recognized as a Romanov. When Kola saw that Gorbachev wanted to give him a medal, he made a sour face, but after a meaningful nudge from Aya, he _gladly_ accepted what occurred to be the medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

After he graduated from college, he decided to go on a trip around the world, of course accompanied by Aya. This was their second honeymoon, and even better than the first one. Upon their return to Karlsland, both started working on setting up the charity that Toshiro talked about back in Orussia.

* * *

Colonel Aya von Edelweiss, after being discharged from the hospital with her cousin Simone, returned to her home, but not for long. She was promoted during a great ceremony, and received, after getting permission from Toshiro, the one-time reinstated Order of the Edelweiss from Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Toshiro pulled some more strings, and on the Valentine's Day 1983, 37 years after Yoshika and Toshiro said their vows, and in the same place, namely St. Peter's basilica, Aya and Kola got married. The pope himself, John Paul II had gave them their sacrament. The whole 777th were the bridesmaids, and Toshiro weaseled himself as the best man. Nine months after that, a blonde haired girl was born, and Aya gave her the name Anastasia, to honor Kola's dead mother

Aya went to college, studying the same majors as Kola. They both crammed in home together, although they were a year apart. After graduating college, and going on an around-the-world tour with Kola, she ran the charity that Toshiro wanted to found with Kola as her daily job. She also organized all the meet ups of the 501st and 777th every year, the one in 1991 she remembered as one of the best.

 **Forest Opera, Sopot**

 **Republic of Poland**

 **23** **th** **August 1991**

The whole 501st and 777th was crammed up in the audience of the Sopot Forest Opera, all of them having front row seats.

"Mommy, Mommy, when's the show gonna start?" Berenike asked. "Owww!" she screamed in pain.

"Julius, stop that!" Sieglinde said firmly to her son. "Look, Sweetie, they're coming out already."

"I wouldn't, in my weirdest dreams, think that Sieglinde would be such a caring mother…" Tatiana sighed.

"Right?" Nami asked. "What a weird turn of events."

"Oh shush, everyone, it's starting," Aya said.

Grażyna Torbicka, a young blonde presenter from the second channel of public Lehistan television walked out on the scene and said, "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 28th International Sopot Festival! Our first performance is a sign of peace between our two brotherly countries."

"Brotherly…" Tatiana huffed from her seat. "Lehistan is an independent country after _Solidarność_ won the parliament voting in 89. The USSR is dying, Missy, and you know it. The _GKChP_ succeeded in their coup two days ago in Moscow, and soon there will be no more _Sovietskij Sojuz_!"

"Oh can it already, Tatiana…" Aina sighed. "Look, Aya's daughter is already on stage."

The little Anastasia stood before other children and a male choir, with a big microphone in her hands. She took a deep breath, and started singing.

 ** _Solnechnyj krug, nebo vokrug_** **(Bright blue the sky, sun up on high)**

 ** _Jeto risunok mal'chishki_** **(That was the little boy's picture.).**

 ** _Narisoval on na listke_** **(He drew for you, wrote for you, too)**

 ** _I podpisal v ugolke_** **(Just to make clear what he drew):**

The other kids joined in, as they sung the refrain

 ** _Pust' vsegda budet solnce_** **(May there always be sunshine)!**

 ** _Pust' vsegda budet nebo_** **(May there always be blue skies)!**

 ** _Pust' vsegda budet mama_** **(May there always be mommy)!**

 ** _Pust' vsegda budu ja_** **(May there always be me)!**

" _Pust' vsegda budet mir_ (May there always be peace)…" Aya whispered under her nose, wiping a tear off her cheek.

* * *

 **One more!**

* * *

 **If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!**


	61. Chapter 61 – Farewell, Adam

Chapter 61 – Farewell, Adam

* * *

"I-Is that all?" Toshiro asked after the vision in his head faded. "Will that really happen?"

"Yes," the omnipresent voice of the Primordial Goddess replied. "That is the unaltered and unbiased truth."

"B-But that can't be all, right? Right?!"

"Indeed, that was not all. Some information I withheld from you."

"I see… So there are still some variables…" Toshiro muttered. "Before you send me off, can I talk to my loved ones?"

"So be it, Adam. Seek an audience with me when you are ready to depart. But remember – this is something that has to happen, or else your very existence could be in danger. However improbable it seems to you now, it is a possibility or rather a must for you. And you do not have to worry about Kye; this conversation will stay between us."

"Understood…" Toshiro muttered and the room of blinding light was replaced with a mountaintop he was standing on. "Mother of God… This is too much for me…" he sat on the ground.

Livy appeared at his side and asked, "Master, what is it? What did you hear from _her_?"

"I knew that something was brewing, but this is going down shit creek without a paddle… But I'll tell you more later, okay? Right now, we'll have a guest soon."

"I understand, Master," she smiled. "We have to greet her correctly after all."

 **Communal Cemetery, District One, Neo-Berlin**

 **European Republic of Karlsland**

 **3** **rd** **September 2070**

Heavy rain fell on the mass of people gathered around a small, freshly dug grave. Most of them had their laser umbrellas handy, but those unfortunate enough were dripping wet. Before the grave itself, an ancient gun carriage, complete with gun, was hovering on 8th generation ion engines. Just behind the gun lied a decorative casket draped in the national flag, and behind it a big holographic image of a young black haired girl was displayed, wearing a uniform of a long gone army formation, and smiling delicately, with a platinum order in the shape of a mountain flower hanging down from her neck.

Above them, an honor guard witch representation of the Eurowehr, hovered using first generation Transdermal Flight Ensembles, made possible due to a breakthrough in subatomic particle alteration, _discovered_ by one of the people standing below the witches. They all had black sashes over their formal uniforms, and they held old semi-automatic rifles with their barrels pointing downwards.

The priest standing beside the gun carriage has ended his sermon. He looked at the gathered carefully. In front of everyone, he saw a very old woman on a hovering wheelchair, which he knew was once a famous opera singer. From that generation, according to his knowledge, there was nobody present beside her, but there were countless people of the following ones. Even the daughter of the deceased, with single strands of blond hair, was present, propping herself up with a cane from one side, and under hand with her husband.

He gave a signal to the conductor of the band that was present, and they started playing the melody of _Ich Hatt ein Kameraden._ At the same time, the witch honor guard loaded their rifles, and gave a salvo into the air. The pallbearers took the casket, and slowly moved it on to the winch, which steadily lowered it down into the grave amongst the wailing of some of the gathered, the gun salutes, and the orchestra playing.

When the grave was finally sealed, and covered with an enormous amount of flowers, the daughter of the departed cleared them up, so the tombstone could be seen

 **BrigGen. Aya Edelweiss-Romanov**

 **1 September 1965 – 1 September 2070**

 ** _A Forgotten Heroine_**

The rain stopped pouring, and the cloud cover dispersed slightly, letting a sunray shine over Aya's grave. Anastasia looked up into the sky, and saw a double rainbow appear.

"Rest in peace, Mom… You deserved it."

* * *

 **?**

She opened her eyes, and saw a blooming _sakura_ tree in front of her.

 _"_ _Where am I...? The last thing I remember was going asleep in the hospital room and… This is comfortable… And warm…"_

A familiar face suddenly slid into her view. A face she hadn't seen in eighty seven years.

"Grandpa?" she asked surprised. "How… Why are you so young? And where am I? And… My voice is so clear and strong!"

She jumped up, and noticed that she was now clad in her favorite casual clothes, and that her body felt as new. Then, she looked around, and saw an evergreen plain of grass and flowers. And then, it hit her.

"Grandpa, am I dead? Is this the afterlife? Is that why I'm so young?"

"Right on all accounts, Sweetie," he smiled and stood up from his _hizamakura_ position. "By the way, here, you can freely control your age and... bodily features," he smiled wryly.

Aya raised an eyebrow, and then she felt a tremendous weight on her chest.

"Ugh, so this is how the poor Elwyn felt…" she sighed. "Okay, back to my regular size…" she said and her breasts returned to a double D she acquired after giving birth to her Anastasia.

A mirror appeared in Toshiro's hand, and he threw it to her. Aya looked at herself in it and said, "it's like I'm eighteen all over…"

"Yeah… I'm like I'm eighteen all over again too," he laughed. "By the way, your funeral was glorious."

"My fun…" she stopped mid-sentence as images flew before her eyes. "Humm, it was indeed… My… Only Tatiana lived long enough to attend it… But I think yours was a bit more… spiffy."

"Different times…" Toshiro sighed. "The EU was only a _club_ , not a union of states… But you know that yourself. And about Tatiana… Well, she did nice, living out so many years. You're the only two that crossed the hundred year barrier."

"Yeah… My poor Kola died ten years ago…" she said sadly, but her face lit up quickly. "Grandpa!"

"Yes, you'll be able to see him soon," he interrupted her.

"Graaandpaaaa…" Aya squinted her eyes. "There's something fishy about you?"

Toshiro giggled and said, "Maybe this will refresh your memory."

A memory locked long ago found it's way to Aya's consciousness. She made big eyes, and said, "Grandpa… You? Really?"

"Heh… Who woulda thought, huh?"

"Yeah, defo'…" Aya said with a smile.

"Before I'll let you prance around in your afterlife, you have to be debriefed, so to speak."

"Debriefed?"

"Yup. Kari, come," he ordered.

The girl appeared before him, bowing deeply.

"Yes, Lord Adam?" she asked.

"The time has come, Kari. And really, don't be so formal."

"I understand," she straightened herself up and smiled. "Miiiiistreeeeeesssss!" Kari squealed and hugged Aya. "I was happy and afraid of this day…"

"I can guess why you're happy, but… Why are you afraid?"

"I… I have to go…" Kari said sorrowfully. "After the wielder of a Legendary Weapon dies, the Homo Telum returns to his or hers place of birth…"

"But I'm not dead… uh… technically…"

"Heheh…" Kari giggled. "I know that you can be very quickly put into a different state by your dear grandfather, but I need to report to Miss Kye anyway. We can still be friends, and I can still see you, if I'm permitted. The only difference is that I'll have my _quest_ fulfilled."

Aya smiled and said, "Okay. I won't cry then. We'll have a whole eternity so see each other."

"Thank you, M…"

Aya placed her finger on Kari's lips and said, "Aya."

Kari giggled and said, "Goodbye, Aya. And thank you for everything."

"No, thank you, Kari."

"Astraia."

"Hmm?"

"Long ago, when I acknowledged you and transformed from Kagemaru to Hikarimaru, I decided that when we part, I would tell my birth name and place, so that I may invite you there to visit if it would be allowed."

Aya looked to Toshiro, and he nodded. She looked back to Kari and nodded.

Kari continued, "My name is Astraia Atlantis, the youngest of three sisters. My home is the sovereign of Earth in the Seven Stars, Atlantis City."

"The lost city?"

Kari giggled and said, "Yes. I would like to have you visit there sometime. You've already met my older sister, Astarte. She is Gaia and was wielded by Lady Kye's champion, the other Yoshika, until her death. My oldest sister is Atalante. You have not met her, but I think you would like her. She is not a Homo Telum like Astarte and myself... she's a god, and quite eccentric even among her peers."

"Is she as weird as Alissa?"

"I wonder about that sometimes," Kari smiled and the two shared a laugh. "Anyway, I must depart now. Lady Kye and my sisters are expecting me."

Aya nodded and said, "I'll visit you if you visit me!"

Kari smiled at Aya. "Farewell, Aya."

Kari looked towards Toshiro and nodded. He nodded too, and the girl disappeared.

"You know, Kye also has a "true" name too," Toshiro grinned.

"Oh please, Grandpa…" Aya sighed. "It's confusing already," she giggled.

He snickered and said, "Sure. And by the way, here's another thing, Aya."

"What is it?" she asked curiously, while tilting her head slightly.

"Have fun," he said.

"Heh… I will, Grandpa."

"Now, I'll transport you somewhere else. Somewhere where you'll feel much better than with me."

"Oh, but Grandpa… You know that I love you…" she pouted.

"Of course I know! I'm a damn Elder God!" he laughed. "But you'll see once you get there," he winked and sent her off.

* * *

The scenery before her changed immediately. She found herself on a different part of the plane, but before her, stood a whole legion of people she all knew, or at least think she knew, because everyone was so young.

"Slooooooooow!" three generations of the Yeager girls shouted.

"She was just efficient with living her life!" Trude yelled at them.

"And you're still a damn pain in the ass…" Erica sighed.

"That only leaves my dear _doch'_ …" Natasha said with a satisfied smile.

"True, only my granddaughter is left now," Sanya patted Natasha's head.

"How uncouth!" Perrine pouted. "Talking about somebodies death like that!"

"Everyone dies one day," Mio said, making Perrine blush.

"Ayaya, we waited for you!" Nami cheered.

"Yeah, we were waiting!" Shinobu added.

"We too!" the Lucchini clan started making grabby movements in sync.

"Touch Aya with those paws of yours and I promise you'll regret dying!" Sieglinde yelled.

"Oh come on, a little grope didn't hurt anyone…" Francesca sighed.

"If this is heaven, you don't want to see hell," Minna winked.

Aya looked at the unfolding scene in awe, but shifted her gaze around nervously. But then, all of a sudden, a pair of muscular arms wrapped around her from behind.

"Looking for something?" a male voice asked.

The tears that Aya withheld while talking to Kari now started flowing freely. She quickly turned around and tucked herself into Kola's chest, not able to say a word.

 _"_ _This really is heaven… Thank you, Grandpa… Thank you for creating this universe… Thank you…"_

* * *

 _"_ _The same day Aya came in, Tatiana finally let go of her life. I decided to take her in immediately, not waiting for the funeral. The 777_ _th_ _was now complete in the afterlife. But now, I had to tie down all the loose ends I could possibly think of. I was incredibly selfish, just tending to my closest social circles that I have forgotten about some figures from my life. The first one I dealt with was somebody from a previous age."_

"Hmmm… Who are you?" Rinko asked. "You have something familiar in you, despite looking like a westerner…"

"You could say I'm your seventeen-times-great grandson, heh…"

"You? I… You probably know everything, right?"

"I don't blame you for anything. You just dumped that son of a bitch Nobunaga, taking a ring with yourself that I used as an engagement ring for my Yoshika."

"Ah, so you bear no ill feelings towards me?"

"Nope, not a bit," he smiled.

"By chance, did you perhaps meet the descendant of that whore Ranmaru?"

"Yeah, she's my dear, small framed cousin, heh… Her name is Mami, and her child and grandchild are in the afterlife too. But you don't need to keep a grudge towards Ranmaru, as I already made peace with her, as per Ranmaru's will."

"You did… So I can forgive her too. Nothing good has ever come from such a conflict."

"It's nice that you understand it, my dear ancestor."

"Did you talk with my daughter already?"

"She's next on my list of people to talk to."

And so, after a moment, Keiko appeared before Toshiro.

"My great-something grandmother, nice to see you," Toshiro said before she even opened her mouth.

"Oh, are you my descendant?" she asked surprised

Toshiro flared up with the Sacred Flame and Keiko's eyes widened considerably.

"Gods… You managed to tame the Sacred Flame!"

"The same one that you have used to try to enact your revenge on Nobunaga. I know what you did, Keiko."

"I am truly sorry for what I did, my descendant… I hope you have it in your heart to forgive me…"

"Yeah, sure. Without you, all what happened to me wouldn't happen to begin with. But I guess you'll have to bear the responsibility for killing all the priestesses back then…"

"If only I could apologize to them in person…"

Toshiro smiled and summoned Aganaimaru. The sword disappeared, and all the souls of the priestesses appeared around them.

"H-Himiko-sama! Everyone…" Keiko fell to her knees with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry!" she shouted as she prostrated on the grass.

The head priestess kneeled before Keiko and pulled her up.

"Hush, dear child. It is true that your deed was despicable, but you were the one who triggered the events that lead to the purging of the _Kai_ from the planet."

"Himiko-saaamaaaaa!" Keiko wailed and tucked herself into Himiko's chest.

"Even in death I manage to do something good…" Toshiro sighed. "Oh, and I have something else, concerning all of you who were serving me, both as Aganaimaru and Aimaru."

The head of all the priestesses turned to Toshiro.

"I should have done this a long time ago, while I still was alive, but well, I kind of forgot. I hereby release you all from your duty. May your souls rest in peace."

They all smiled, and the head priestess said, "Girls, what do we say on such an occasion?"

The whole lot bowed deeply and cheered, " _Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita_!"

"Heh, no problem. Live a carefree afterlife, you all deserved it."

* * *

 _"_ _A bit later, I met with Uncle."_

"Geez, Uncs, is that you?" Toshiro asked surprised.

"You don't recognize me, dear nephew? Hah!"

"Well, I recognize you, but damn… Never thought you'd revert to your younger self…"

"Who didn't? My dear sister-in-law is also parading as her eighteen year old self."

"A woman is a woman, Uncle, have some pride in being a man…"

"Haha! So, Toshiro, I have to praise you for what you've done to Karlsland."

"Bah, Uncle… I did what I had to do. I just followed your secret instructions to the 'T'."

"But it seems you perfected them, you sly devil."

"I used that noggin of mine, of course… But I guess the following governments denominated my success a bit…" Toshiro sighed.

"Jesus, Karlsland is the most powerful state of the European Federation…" Franz sighed. "But what led to that… The Islamic Revolution of 2016… That was regrettable… But maybe it was necessary so peace would finally occur between religions?"

"There has to be war, so there will be peace," Toshiro said. "Have you met Aya already?"

"Yes, of course! What a bright girl! You already know she's an Edelweiss when you look at her, hahahaha!" Franz laughed vividly.

"Yeah…" Toshiro smiled. "Take care, Uncle, I have to take care of some other business."

"Have fun, Nephew!"

 _"_ _The next_ person _I met with was my favorite black haired goddess."_

"Aaaaami, come ouuuuut!" Toshiro shouted in the middle of a meadow.

"What is it, my dear savior of humanity?" she asked with a roguish smile.

"Well, I have something to tell to you."

"Fire… Waaaaaait… Why can't I read it off your mind?" Amaterasu asked suspiciously.

"Well, I wonder…" Toshiro said.

His eyes changed. One could almost see the universe in the two dark round shapes, and a cluster of galaxies formed his irises. His clothes formed a black body suit, dotted with stars, and a wildly furling scarf appeared around his neck. Amaterasu's eyes in turn started to widen and her jaw slowly started dropping.

"Of all the people… YOU?!"

Toshiro shrugged, and Amaterasu hugged him, squealing from joy.

"I knew something was off with you from day one! I fucking knew it! Hahahaha! Weeee!"

Amaterasu lifted up Toshiro and spun around with him, but she quickly let go of him and prostrated on the ground.

"I'm sorry, my lord! My joy took the best of me!"

"Come on, stop… We've known each other for over a century. You don't have to dig in the dirt before me…"

"Oh… Okay," Amaterasu said and stood up. "So, what now?"

"Now, I want a bit of payback."

"W-What do you want to do?"

"Eheheh… You'll see," Toshiro winked and the two suddenly changed location.

They were now surrounded by all the gods of his world, looking around surprised. Odin, as the king of gods, moved forward and asked, "What is happening, Amaterasu?"

"I guess Toshiro has an announcement to make," she shrugged.

"It better be important, because even he can't just toy around with us."

"I can, Odin, believe me," Toshiro said calmly, dressed and looking normally again.

"Watch your tongue, or even your preferred status won't help you."

"Oh boo hoo…" Toshiro mocked him.

"Amaterasu, why are you smiling so wickedly? Punish your pet!"

"That won't do, Odin," Amaterasu shrugged again. "He's out of my reach."

"Out of your reach? What is this nonsense?!"

"You see, you old coot, I could just expedite you all to another universe just lifting my finger."

"And what proof do you have?" Odin asked with eyebrows twitching.

"Proof, proof…" Toshiro mumbled. "Here, exhibit A."

Toshiro summoned Livy before him.

"Welcome, lesser gods," Livy said with a mischievous grin. "And of course you, Master," she bowed towards Toshiro

"What is the meaning of this?" Odin asked confused.

"You know, Livy is the partner of the Allgod…" Toshiro mused and embraced her with one hand.

"…and the Allgod is my Master and eternal lover," Livy smiled and tucked herself into Toshiro's chest.

Immediately, all of the gathered gods dropped on their knees or whatever they had to move around.

"I humbly apologize for my insolence!" Odin shouted.

"Yeah, whatever. Everyone, get up, I have an announcement to make."

After all the gods raised themselves, Toshiro started talking again.

"You see, despite me being the Allgod, I won't intervene more than it's necessary, that is, almost never. The way this universe runs is perfect already, thus, my meddling is unnecessary at most times. I'm just warning you about one thing – if you try to do something funny about my friends or family, both living or dead, I will take action. And you won't like it one bit," Toshiro said with a cold voice. "But I will make sure you won't do that by doing one simple thing…. Amaterasu, come before me."

"Yes!" she shouted and stood before him.

"Amaterasu!" he held his hand straight before her. "As the creator of this universe, I hereby exempt you out of the laws of causality. You no longer need Free Energy to exist, and your actions won't need equivalent counter-actions."

The gods around murmured, but Amaterasu was stunned.

"B-But… Why?" she asked.

"I can't trust all those schemers. Call this as you want, but you're the only higher being on this planet that I can trust. You will protect Earth, and its afterlife, both from alien invaders and from the other petty gods. You are the Goddess of the Sun and the Universe, and I bestow upon you the power to be so singlehandedly."

"Outrage!" Odin yelled.

"Shut the fuck up or I'll send you to a Nexus," Toshiro snarled.

Every god cowered in place, and dead silence befell upon the gathering.

"I also have another thing to announce," Toshiro thundered. "All the members of my family, both dead, living, and not-yet-born, as well as their spouses will become gods or goddesses immediately, or when they die. Their divinities were already chosen, and their current or potential power levels far outweigh all your lot. And of course they are exempt from what you're subjected to. That's all, have a good day," Toshiro turned around to Livy. "Come on, I don't have the power to do this alone."

"Of course, Master," Livy smiled and she grabbed his hand.

The two closed their eyes and engulfed themselves in celestial energy. After a brief moment of concentration, an omnidirectional explosion of raw power came from where the two stood, engulfing the whole universe in a split second.

"Done," Toshiro smiled, and turned to Amaterasu. "Now, Ami, I believe you wanted something from me all the time?"

"Me?" she asked. "Ah… Oh… That thing…" she blushed.

* * *

The scenery changed to a candlelit bedroom. Amaterasu was now only in black satin underwear, lying on the bed.

"….ay. What the fuck?!"

"Ami, you know, that I know, that you want to do it with me. If you don't want, just say it."

"Uh, you're sort of over my league, so you can read my mind anyway so…" she started to pull off her bra. "Just be gentle…"

"I have to be, or I could accidentally make a new universe," he giggled.

'Oh! But wait a second!" her hand stopped midway. "Livy?"

"Yes, Ami?" she asked as she appeared.

"Did you do it with Toshiro already when he became an Elder God?" she asked bluntly.

Livy nodded with a glad face and said, "Multiple times, Ami. Master is an incredible lover, so I do hope you will enjoy this gesture of good will from Him."

"You're okay? Just like that?" Amaterasu asked dumbfounded.

"No woman can sway Master's heart," she said with conviction ringing from her voice.

"I see… Toshiro, you always were, and always will be, a complete and unchangeable perv," she sighed. "Um… Can we be alone now?"

Livy disappeared, and Toshiro asked, "So, where were we?"

"You probably wanted to impale me on that Elder God dick of yours…" Amaterasu giggled.

"Everything for a good friend."

* * *

"I caaaan't moooooove…" Amaterasu moaned in pain. "Toshiro, you were too rough…"

"Ugh, sorry, Ami… I kinda was a bit too excited, heh…"

"I just hope I won't get pregnant…"

"Don't worry about that," he snickered and snapped his finger. "Your body is healed, go in peace."

"You're going somewhere, aren't you?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah… I have to…" he sighed.

"So that's why you anointed me," she nodded her head. "I do hope you return though."

"Hope dies last," Toshiro said. "Don't destroy the planet while I'm gone, kay? Now you're the Empress of Gods, with Aya being the Queen."

"Heh, okay."

* * *

Toshiro made his clothes appear on him and he teleported to Yoshika, who was not sitting at the lakeshore, alone. He placed his hands over her eyes from behind and asked, "Guess who?"

"Hmmmm… The Hispanic inquisition?" she asked amused.

"Heh, almost."

"Ummmm… Oh, it's probably Toshiro!"

"Ding ding ding!"

"You always have something up your sleeves, Toshiro. Where were you all… this time?"

"I was tying some ends together."

"Oh? Why?"

Toshiro took a deep breath and said, "I have to go away for a while."

"Ohhhhh… Why?!" she asked sadly.

Toshiro manifested his godly eyes.

"Huh? I never saw your eyes glowing with such intensity…"

"Instead of flapping my gums, I'll just show you," he said and placed his hands on her forehead.

Yoshika stared blankly into his eyes for a good minute, and once Toshiro removed his hand, she said, "So you are like Kye now?"

"Yup, more or less."

"And… Am I a goddess now? Really?"

"Yes, my love. You're the Goddess of Celestial Love right now, heheh…"

"Sounds nice…" Yoshika smiled. "Speaking of which… You just haaaaaaaaaad to bang Ami right now… Sheeesh…"

"You know me; I couldn't waste the occasion…"

"Yes, yes…" Yoshika sighed. "So, how long will be separated?"

"Technically, we won't be."

"Huh?" she tilted her head.

"Toshiro the Third might appear in your life soon. Same body, same personality, same loving guy…"

Yoshika hugged him suddenly and said, "But you're the original Toshiro…"

"Yes, I know, Yoshika," he sighed. "But the fate of my whole multiverse could depend on whenever I go or not."

"It's that bad?" she asked.

"Yes…"

"Go then…" she hugged him tighter. "Stay safe, Toshiro."

Yoshika separated himself from him, and walked a few steps back, so he could look at her.

"Hey, fartface!" Yuki appeared all of a sudden in her snake form.

"Yuki? Sup?"

"You know what's sup…"

"Ah, yes… I can do that for you. It will be better for the both of us anyway."

Toshiro snapped his fingers, and suddenly, instead of a white tsuchinoko, before him stood a meter seventy-five beauty, with a 34E bust, long white hair, red eyes, and a black kimono. She looked down, weighed her breasts, wiggled around with her body, and finally ran up to Toshiro and kissed him.

"Heeeeeeeeey!" Yoshika protested.

"Weeeeee! I have my own body!" Yuki cheered.

"Yuki? Is that you?" Yoshika asked.

"Uhum!"

"Wow… Oh right, you always wanted your own body!"

"And I finally got it! Thanks, Adamshiro!"

"No problem, Yuki. But I'll kinda miss you…"

"I'll miss you too, you numbskull… But I guess I just have to call your name, and we can have a conversation like in the olden days, huh?"

"Indeed. Ah, but I guess somebody else is now awfully jealous…"

The two girls tilted their heads, and Toshiro snapped his fingers. Before them appeared a burly man with chestnut hair, meter eighty in height, wearing a white yukata.

"Oh? Who's that?" Yoshika asked.

"Kuuuujiiiiii!" Yuki cheered and ran up to the freshly appeared man.

Between the hugs and kisses, Kuji managed to say, "Yes, yes… It's me, my dearest Yuki."

"Toshiro, thank you!" Yuki cheered happily.

"No problem, Yuki," Toshiro smiled.

"Ah, but now, Yuki, I have a question to ask of utmost importance."

"What is it, darling?" Yuki asked.

"Will you show me your panties?"

Yuki's face went red immediately and she smacked Kuji so hard he cracked a nearby rock when he crashed into it.

"Fucking perv!" she yelled.

"Worth… It…" Kuji moaned.

"Damn, that was a nice smack…" Yuki pondered as she looked at her right hand. "Toshiro, did you perhaps…"

"Change you into a goddess? Of course, and Kuji too. And Kuro. And Bianca. And Ishtar, the child of the previous two. You deserve it for putting up with us."

"Wow…" Yuki gasped with tears flowing from her eyes.

"Haha, bye you three. I hope I'll return soon."

"Bye!" the two girls cheered and waved their hands.

"Thanks…" Kuji moaned and raised his hand slightly.

"Oh, and… I made sure all the other sentient familiars, both currently in the afterlife and those that will come, will obtain a human form."

Yuki's eyes widened, she pumped her first in the air and shouted, "Grandchildren!"

"Now _that_ is fast thinking!" Toshiro laughed, and then, Livy appeared at his side.

"Master, I have… a request…"

"Oh? Let me hear it, Sweetie."

"Not here… Let's take Mistress Yoshika with us and go somewhere else."

"Okaaay then…" he said and all three changed places to a mountain plateau.

"Toshiro, what's going on?" Yoshika asked.

"Master Adam, am I part of your journey?" Livy asked.

Toshiro looked to the side and said, "Yes…"

"Then…" Livy looked at Yoshika. "Mistress, there's a way for you to be at Master's side."

"There is?" both asked surprised.

"I have a weird feeling that the two of us girls are… connected somehow…" Livy said. "But I can only confirm that if we merge ourselves."

"Merge?" Yoshika asked. "But… Who will be the dominating personality then? And how will _we_ look?"

"That is unknown even to me," Livy said apologetically. "So, Mistress, do you accept?"

"Woah, Livy…" Toshiro said uncertainly. "Are you sure this will work? It's weird, but even I don't know the outcome."

"So you too…" Livy muttered.

"I accept," Yoshika said. "If I have a chance of staying with Toshiro, I'll take it."

"It seems I'm overruled," Toshiro sighed. "Proceed, you two."

"How do we do it?" Yoshika asked.

"With a kiss," Livy said softly.

"Heh… Good that I'm used to girl-on-girl action," she giggled. "Pucker up, Livy!"

Yoshika jumped into Livy's embrace, and as the goddess kissed her, a bright light that blinded Toshiro engulfed their vicinity. When he could finally see clearly, he saw that only Livy was standing there, with her right side turned to him.

"Livy?" he asked. "Is everything okay?"

She turned around, and Toshiro saw a two-centimeter wide string of brown hair dangling above her left eye.

"Yes, Toshiro?" she asked, and quickly covered her mouth. "Oh my… I meant… Toshiro… Oh… What…"

"I see it clearly," he laughed. "Yoshika is having the upper hand in this matter."

Livy closed her eyes, and after a few seconds, she said, "Indeed… Yoshika loves you so much that her _part_ won't let me call other than by your given name. And her too for that matter."

"So I have a two-in-one girl now…" he pondered. "Come on, let's kiss."

"J-Just like that?" she asked. "Oh, these mortal emotions are… emotional! I feel so much better…"

Toshiro appeared just before her, and placed his lips on hers. As they kissed, they felt a surge of energy coursing into and between their bodies. They looked at each other in wonder.

"I feel stronger," Toshiro said. "Like… Two times as strong…"

"Maybe you don't have to go right now, Toshiro?" Livy asked.

"If I may interrupt," a familiar voice rang in the air and Kye appeared.

"I kinda wanted to visit you later," Toshiro said. "Hi."

"Hi, Adamshiro," she raised her hand. "And Livyshika."

"Hi!" Livy cheered, which surprised even her.

"Wow, she's something right now," Kye giggled. "You're going somewhere, right, Adamshiro?"

"Yeah… I have to perform another rebirth…"

"What's the cause?" Kye asked.

"Mavet is coming back from his mortal life," Toshiro said with a cold voice. "It was an utter failure, and he's pissed off eternally."

Kye looked at him, and she said, "So now that you're _back_ , I don't have to protect your universe, despite the fact that you're weakened. Thus, you're undertaking the journey to reach your full power, so you can fend for your own, and so that I will be obligated to look after your sandbox."

"Uhhh… Yeah…" Toshiro scratched his head. "I'm sorry that this has to look like this but…"

"I swore, and I will keep my promise," Kye said adamantly. "You're doing the right thing now, despite it looking a bit selfish. Two minutes ago, you were 1/4th of Mavet's power, and Livy was only 1/4th weaker than him, so you two accounted to one Mavet, but remember about Maeve. But when Yoshika and Livy merged, and after you two kissed, your power got doubled, and Livy is now as powerful as either Mavet or Maeve, but that still puts you at a disadvantage. I alone can combat Mavet and his consort, so you don't have to worry about your multiverse."

"Thanks…" Toshiro muttered. "But I do wonder what happened just now."

"I think I know," Livy said. "Yoshika had a microscopic fraction of my soul inside her. And when I say microscopic, the fraction printed on paper would be enough to make a mummy out of you, Toshiro."

"And that was enough to trigger a power-up?" Toshiro asked. "Very weird…"

"That must have been an important part of Livy," Kye said. "The slightest things could trigger a power-up, but everything has to have its time and place."

"How did it get into Yoshika in the first place?" Toshiro asked.

"I think I lost that bit of me… uh… let's not talk about that," Livy said and looked at Kye, receiving a nod from her.

"Anyway," Toshiro said. "Kye, I'm leaving my multiverse at your disposal. Be nice to Ami, she's the head honcho on Earth now. And if you can guide my godly family a bit…"

"You sure use your powers to do the weirdest of things…" she sighed. "But indeed, Ami without constraints from your universes rules is a very powerful goddess. And aren't you forgetting about something?"

"Huh?"

Kye shook her head and said, "You and Livyshika will be missing. Everyone will be looking for you."

Toshiro slapped his forehead with an open palm, and snapped the fingers of his left hand. A Toshiro and Yoshika appeared before them, looking surprised at each other and at them.

"Toshiro Trey," Toshiro said to his clone. "I have to leave my crib, so I want you and Yoshika Deuce to be stand-ins."

"This is weird as fuck, but okay," Toshiro Trey agreed and looked at his Yoshika. "How about it, Sweetie?"

"An eternal life as gods without worries… Hmmmm… I think I'm game," she smiled.

"It's nice you understand," Toshiro said and poofed them away. "Bye, Kye. I hope we'll see each other one day."

"You can't tell me what you saw, right?"

"How do you know I saw everything?" he smiled slyly.

"I see what you did there…" Kye snickered. "Bye, Toshiro. Bye, Livy. I hope that your quest will end successfully. It's not that I'm moaning about having to protect your shit, but I do want to see you fully realized, just like in the olden eons."

"Thank you, Kye," Toshiro cracked a smile.

"Good bye, Kye," Livy also smiled and they both disappeared.

"Hopefully…" Kye sighed and looked around. "I could live here…"

Jouten appeared at her side and asked, "Another indefinite multiverse protection gig from Adam?"

"Yeah. But I can't help it. I promised it to him, and I can't just look at him being so powerless."

"I sense something!" Jouten shouted, and at the same time, two figures clad in dark auras appeared.

"Where is he!?" one of the figures yelled. "Where is Adam?!"

"And hello to you too, Mavet," Kye smirked. "I trust you had a rough ride?"

"You don't know what I had to live through, you blonde wench!" Mavet shouted.

"Mark your words!" Jouten hissed.

"Easy, Joey, we're better than them in every way…" Kye said calmly. "Both Adam and Livy are at the Primordial Goddess right now, or probably somewhere else. And don't even lay a single thought on his creation, because I am the one protecting it. Move one atom out of place, and I _will_ kill you. You have made enough trouble for the both me and him, so you're extending your welcome too much already."

"Fine then," he said. "I will find him, and I will make him suffer. I will make his life miserable, just as the miserable life I had to lead. And at the end, I will kill him," Mavet said coldly, and both he and his partner disappeared.

"Well then," Kye sighed. "I have to get down to the bottom of this matter."

"Don't tell me…"

"Adam will never walk alone."

A cloaked person appeared suddenly.

"Mentor, you here?" Kye asked.

"Yes, I'm here to communicate something to you."

"I'll gladly hear whatever you want to tell me."

"You will not interfere in the matters of the four that left anymore," the Primordial Goddess said.

"But why is that, Mentor?" Kye asked surprised.

"Because this _game_ is something unprecedented and has to go along as it was planned before even you were created. I will personally see to it that nothing will happen to the order of this ordeal."

"Now you have me stumped…" Kye furled her eyebrows. "Can I hear some reasons?"

"I will only tell you two things, and what you deduce out of that is your own business. Firstly, the ring that Adam has a third property that only I know about."

"Third? I thought that only had two _abilities_ …" Kye pondered.

"It is directly connected to the second reason, which I will now stream directly into your consciousness," the Primordial Goddess said, and both Kye and Jouten saw a series of events from times unaccounted.

"That…" Jouten gasped.

"Yes, my creation, you've deduced well… Adam's saga has opened it's final chapter, and the outcome will be something of unprecedented scale."

* * *

 **And we have a wrap! This time I won't make this AN unnecessarily long.**

 **First of all I would like to thank everyone who read this story. You can pat yourself on the back if you're reading this now. Pat yourself a bit harder if you posted at least one review.**

 **Secondly, an announcement – there's a sort-of follow-up to this story coming soon. Don't expect too much though, I'm saving the best for a fully-fledged book series.**

 **Until next time!**


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